Come What May
by SergeantJohnston
Summary: Continuation of "Fast I Fade Away" But, as the Task Force continue out their lives, we also step into the lives of the Johnston and MacTavish family while the trio Mel/Soap/Price figure out what to do with Jenna Davenport. Sucky summary, yeah R&R please:
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to a brand new MacTavishxMelody story! I know some may say I'm stupid to continue this, but I love to write and as long as some may like my stories and how I write, I plan on continuing. So, to those who do not like that I have continued but still pressed the story, now may be a good time to exit - Have a nice day;)**

Benjamin Johnston turned and looked once more back at the old facility behind him. He had decided to give the place up for good since he heard about Melody years ago. Before, he had thought that Melody was the last thing he had of Melanie and the life he used to have, he thought that if he kept her for so long he'd be maybe closer to getting back to normal. He sighed when he felt an uncomfortable tug pull at his chest as he heard tires screech behind him and the slamming of a car door.

He threw a box into the back of a truck and turned as he heard his name being called from an old, familiar voice making the atmosphere tense.

"Finally giving it up, Benjamin? For her sake?" Margaret asked walking up to him.

He looked over at the woman. She was wearing casual clothes, an ivory blouse, long jeans, and a cheap pair of knock-off Converse at her feet. Her usually long blonde hair was chopped and put in loose curls that tickled her shoulders. He grinned seeing the woman from his past. He thought she had quit three years ago when they saw on the news about the returning Task Force 141 and their revealing about the truth with General Shepherd. Benjamin hated himself for giving his daughter to him. They said that Makarov had killed her, but he imagined that he himself was the one that killed his own daughter.

"What are you doing here, Margaret?" He asked then paused seeing a small blonde girl peek out behind Margaret's legs with a nervous look on her face. He furrowed his eyebrows in pain and turned his head when a memory flashed in his skull. Melody at a young age, crying and begging for forgiveness. Crying and begging that he wouldn't hit her.

'How did I become a monster?' He thought forcing himself to collect his thoughts since he wasn't by himself.

"I heard about this place. I came to check on you. We're probably never friends, but I knew that I had to come see you at some point. Since the news of Melody's passing." She said hesitantly.

Benjamin looked over from the arm that rested against the trunk door. He arched an eyebrow slightly at the woman. "I guess we weren't. Tell me something, Margaret. Was I such a monster as I think now? I never wanted to hurt Melody, but I was just so angry… with…myself." He said slowly as he felt tears sting his eyes.

Margaret was shocked to see the man this way. She had always known and brought him up in her thoughts to be this cold and cruel man who'd kill his own to just get respect and attention. But now, seeing him crumble in front of her made her question her judgment. She let go of her daughter's small hand for a second and stepped closer towards Benjamin.

"Ben, I need to tell you something. Melody… she left you something. Years ago when Shepherd came to take her away from us. Here, she left this note; she wanted to give it to you but she never got to." Margaret said as tears began to form in her eyes and trickled in slivers down her cheeks as she looked at the man before her with concern filled her blue eyes.

Ben hesitantly looked over at her as she held a folded piece of paper in her shaky hand. The little girl at her side clutched tightly to her mother's hand.

"Momma, are you crying?" She asked softly, big matching blue eyes staring towards her mother's face.

Margaret quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her right hand and looked at the girl with a forced smile. "No, sweetie, everything's okay. C'mon, I think we should give Mr. Johnston some time alone." She said leaning down and picking the girl up and to her hip.

"Bye, Mr. Johnson." The little girl said pronouncing his name wrong.

His eyes stung with tears and he grinned at the girl and returned her farewell wave with a stiff lift of his two front fingers. He watched as Margaret left the grounds and he sat on the tailgate of his truck as he slowly opened the creased and torn paper that was left to him by his daughter. He let out a muffled moan as he felt a quick tug at his heart thinking about her sitting down one day and writing this. Alive and well. Another tug sent him sighing. He forced himself to read the rushed and scribbled handwriting on the paper.

_Dear Dad,_

_Yeah, I'm just as shocked that I'm writing this as must be. I don't know really why I am writing this, but let's just get this over with. First off; I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was never the daughter you trained and the daughter you wanted to see grow up. I'm sorry I'm not perfect, but to be completely honest, who is? Take a long time to figure out who? Bet it did. But, even though I hate saying so, but I won't be relaxed until I do, I love you, Dad. I don't know why or how, but maybe it's just biological. Wait, does that make sense? Anyway, since you've probably crumbled this already or thrown it away, it's probably the best time to say good-bye… So… Bye._

_-Melody_

Benjamin broke down and began to cry on the tailgate of the truck. The sun was shining and there was a warm breeze; simply good weather. But, to Benjamin, it was like any other day when it was damp and muddy. He clutched the note to his chest as twenty years of held-back tears poured down his cheeks and splattered against his note. Melody's note. He never thought she'd leave such a deep scar in his life like Melanie had. It then occurred to him that he didn't want that with his second daughter, Krista. He had to see her, even if Melody might've convinced her that he was a monster like he feared. But, was it completely wrong?

"I'm so sorry, Melody." He muttered at the paper in his hand.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so that's all that I saw in the attic, Mrs. J." The tall shaggy blonde-haired man said as he popped his knuckles and turned to the woman beside him.<p>

"Thanks Jeremy. You have no idea what this means seeing all this old stuff still hidden up there." Melanie said immediately grabbing the box and sliding it gently across the wooden floor towards the living room.

"Mom, what are you doing with that box anyway?" Krista asked handing an excited bouncing one year old over to Taylor as he grinned at the squealing girl.

"It's all of her stuff. I kept it for years in the attic. It's all I now have left of Melody." She said hesitantly as she stroked her hand on the cardboard top.

Krista placed her hands in her pockets and walked towards her mother. Her long brown hair was strewn across her shoulders and slightly down her back; blue eyes looking warily at her mother. "Mom, you don't have to do this right now if you're not ready. I'm sad about Melody's passing, I mean she is my sister whether I knew her or not, but I just don't want you to stress yourself into a heart attack or something." Krista said brushing back her messy hair.

Melanie glanced at her youngest daughter and patted her hand. "Yes, I know, but I need to see her face, when she was happy. I love you, Krista. I want you to know that." She said looking straight into her eyes with her deep green eyes.

Krista forced a grin and hugged her mother's neck tightly. "I love you too, Mom." She said against her neck.

Melanie broke their embrace, eager to see inside the box for at least one more time. She slowly pulled back the cardboard with Krista leaning over and peeking into the box with her. Numerous colorful photo albums lay stacked against each other in a neat pile along with small and large tapes. Some folded; creased colorful papers were tucked carefully in the midst of them. Small boxes were placed in the box with it to hold pictures that weren't able to be placed in albums. Melanie leaned down and picked up a small box and opened it and saw the figures on the frame. She laughed uncontrollably when she saw Benjamin and herself years ago, before they even got married.

"Is that you and Dad? You were so young." Krista said with a grin looking at the picture.

"Were?" Melanie joked arching an eyebrow at the girl.

Krista just chuckled and picked up an album from the box. She looked at the first picture and saw herself when she was a baby and Melody's round brown eyes showing unsure emotions as she held the baby in her arms. She wished she could remember her. Her mother always spoke of her when she was young and she thought she sounded so fun and full of life. But, when she had seen her that day when she found them after so long, she didn't seem too lively as she had described. The joyous glitter in her eyes was replaced with something more coldly and locked behind bars. She looked at the next one and saw Melody again in a large red dress with ringlet curls down her temples and her hair was pulled up nicely into a bun on the back of her head. Her black, shimmering shoes were closer to the camera when it was taken since whoever had taken it was taking it at an angle as she sat on a large black recliner. She looked confused as she stared at a large, thick book in her hands. She grinned at the picture then saw one that made her curious. It was with an older woman with greying brown hair and light green eyes. She thought the woman looked like Melanie, so she turned to her.

"Mom, who is she?" She asked pointing at the woman who was holding a baby Melody.

Melanie smiled lovingly at the picture and was silent as she stroked the face of the woman. She sighed in contentment and looked back at her daughter who was waiting for her answer. "She's my mother, you're grandmother. Her name was Jesselyn, but everyone called her Jesse. Well, besides my siblings and I. She was the nicest woman I had ever known. "She said with a slight tug of the corner of her mouth.

Though she wanted to hear more about her grandmother when she was interrupted by the annoying sound of the doorbell. Melanie offered to get the door when she saw Taylor playing with the girls, their first daughter Viktoria and their youngest Jazmine, outside. Melanie pulled the wrap around her shoulders and brushed back her short brown hair as she walked towards the door. She swallowed back the emotions she was feeling when she saw the pictures and slowly opened the door.

When she saw the guest at her door she gasped loudly and jumped back in shock and fear. "Ben, what are you doing here?" She asked new tears forming in her eyes when she saw her old husband standing before her.

Ben turned and looked at her with a grin. Though he was greatly surprised he was so glad to see her standing before him. He could see a glimpse of the young sixteen year old girl he saw when he first met her in her light, deep green eyes. The same eyes that haunted him for fourteen years.

"Melanie, you're alive?" He questioned happily.

Melanie just stared back at him in shock and then anger seeped in and took control of her. "How could you do that to her? Our own daughter? You took her away from me! She'd be alive right now if it wasn't for you!" She immediately yelled pushing him out of the door with a mad expression and boiling sad tears streaking her face.

Ben raised his arms to protect his face when she immediately started punching and slapping him. He did nothing since he knew he deserved after all he had done to them. "Melanie! Melanie, calm down! I'm not here to make your life hell like before." He said taking her hands in his and stared down into her eyes with his baby blue.

She tugged and pulled against his hold with a glare plastered sternly on her face. "And why should I even believe you?" She questioned angrily.

He sighed and took her hands more softly in his to show he wasn't going to hurt her or do anything he had done before. What he would've done before. "You have to believe me, Melanie. I'm here to apologize and to make things right. I've messed up everything good that was in our lives. Our marriage, our kids' happiness. I alienated you from your family. But, I need to know you'll forgive me though I know I don't deserve it. Just, please, promise me you can at least give me that." He begged staring into her eyes.

Melanie stared up at him while tears gripped her eyelids. She could see that his eyes were red and quite puffy, like he had been crying recently. But, she wondered, how could someone knowingly heartless cry? She was confused and didn't like it. But looking into his eyes and seeing the softness and kindness that she had loved so dearly in them. The old Benjamin Johnston she fell in love with. But, the question was if he was the same. Could she forgive him?

* * *

><p><strong>So, there's chapter one. I hope you guys like it! I had always wanted to delve into the lives of my other OCs more, but I thought you didn't like them as much so I never paid no mind to them until now when I realized I think I'm overdoing the MacTavishxMelody thing. So, first couple of chapters should be about the Johnston and MacTavish family. Oh, and by the way, I do not own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise or their characters. (no brainer) ... Don't know why I said that... weird... Ever said something you wished you didn't? ... This is one of those times:) But you guys are awesome and I hope you have a night just as awesome as yourselves. I love you all! Except for you Kardashians, I can't really stand you. <strong>

***Just kidding! I probably just stuck my foot down my throat didn't I? Maybe I should shut up... Good plan... Shutting up.***


	2. Chapter 2

David MacTavish sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hand. It was early in the morning and he couldn't sleep. They had heard last night that their son had been in some kind of trouble and had three bullets to the stomach. His wife, Jamie, had worried herself sick until four in the morning so she was just now falling asleep. His adopted daughter had rushed over when she heard the news last night so she and her fiancée were fast asleep in her old room. He rubbed his temples sleepily as he looked at the rising sun that finally decided to show its face. He had been around when he came to tell about his deceased fiancée years ago, but since then they hadn't heard much from him. The usual phone call every now and then out of the blue. He'd usually call just to let them know he was okay and that things were finally getting to normal. He often talked about his somewhat girlfriend in his calls. David thought he never added much emotion in them. He couldn't blame him; if the same thing had happened to Jamie at a young age like John, he'd probably act the same. He sighed and placed his face in his hands worrisome.

"Didn't sleep either?" A light voice with a British accent appeared from behind him. He jumped and looked back at his daughter who was still wearing the same clothes but were slightly creased and fit crooked on her arms and legs and stomach. Her hair was slightly wadded on one side of her head and others stuck out wildly. He could tell she must've tossed and turn all night long.

"No, I'm too worried. John hasn't come and seen us since after that girl, uh, Melody died. He didn't look right; didn't act right. I knew something was up, but I didn't say anything." He said turning and looking at the young woman as she pulled her a seat beside him.

"I know what you mean. Usually John and I have a lot of fun together. At times, it was usually me starting the fights, but he never complained about bored around me. He would barely even look at me in the eyes. He wouldn't grin, unless it was forced." She said folding her arms against the sleek wood top and leaned slightly towards him.

David sighed. "I would go and visit but that boy's all the way up in New York. Why he is I will never know. Away from his family. I always worried something would happen to him like this ever since he was a kid and found interests in military things." He said taking a sip of his coffee and looked at her recovering-from-sleep face.

She nodded to herself and laid her head against the wood. "I miss him. The real him… Do you think that Melody girl brought that guy back? Maybe that's why he acted so depressed. That must suck so badly right now. Poor Bub." She murmured against the table top.

He reached over and squeezed her hand with his. "It'll be fine, Jess. Hopefully, John will recover nicely and we either go up and see him or we make him drag his ass down here." He joked trying to make her feel better.

Jessica just scoffed at the light joke and looked up as she heard more feet shuffle across the wooden floor. It was her mother, Jamie. Her long ink black hair was messy and ruffled and long black streaks trailed her cheeks since she had been crying so hard last night. David sighed and stood up and wrapped his arms around his wife. He smoothed her hair and held her tight as more tears appeared in her eyes.

"Everything's going to be fine, Jamie. I promise." He murmured against her hair and kissed her temple.

Jamie forced to collect herself and tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "I know. I got a call this morning, that's why I'm up. It was from a man named John Price, the one that John talked about on the phone and in e-mails. He said he's doing fine and he wants to come and visit soon. He says he has a surprise." She said happily holding her cell phone in her hand with a smile.

"Really! That's amazing! What's his surprise?" Jessica said happily standing up and hugging her mother's neck.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if we knew, Jess. Where's Dillon at?" She said with a laugh.

Jessica pulled back and looked around a second. "He must still be asleep. He hasn't met John yet. He said he felt bad for not being so worried about him. I told him not to sweat it right now. I'm just so freakin' happy! I'm gonna go wake him up!" She said joyfully jumping and running down the hall towards her old room near the end of the hall.

David chuckled at the girl and looked over at his wife. "Will he be able to call soon?" He asked looking at the back of her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I'm not sure, I sure hope so though. I wonder if his surprise is that girlfriend of his. They've sorta together for three years. I hope it's some girl that he really cares about. He needs some happiness after that whole General betrayal and after Melody's passing. Oh, I wish he was here right now so I could hug him and lock him in his room." She said slightly moaning in impatience.

David chuckled. "Like you did when he was a kid and he was out too late? Thank God he's alright then immediately start yelling and saying how worried you were?" He joked taking a sip of his coffee.

She just arched an eyebrow at him with a grin. "It's called motherly instincts. My mother did that to me and now I'm doing the same to John and Jessica. I don't suspect you to know anything about that, Dave." She joked standing up and stroking his chin lovingly as she walked past him towards the living room towards her book.

David just scoffed at her and turned to see her give him a look as she crossed her legs and sat on the couch. He grinned at her. He could tell she was happy about hearing John's recovering, but he could tell from the slight frown in her features that she was still worrying about him. She couldn't help it. She wasn't going to take that he was perfectly fine until she saw him. With the occasional lecture that he could've been killed. He stood up and smiled as he passed her to go outside.

"Where are you going?" She asked forcing herself from her wary thoughts to look towards her husband.

"Outside. I have to work on that crib for Mary and James' baby. 'Member?" He said with a grin.

Mary and James were good friends of the family. "Yes, now go before you make me lecture you." She teased pointing her finger at him with a bright smile.

"Oh, I'm scared." He said in a fake tone.

She playfully glared at him and he faked a terrified face and stumbled out the door. Jamie let out an uncontrollable laugh at her husband and shook her head.

"I swear, I think I have three children instead of two." She joked taking a sip of her coffee and began to read where she left off.

* * *

><p>"Mom, what's going on?" Krista asked hearing her mother's loud voice and followed her out the door. She saw her staring up at a man with slightly graying blonde hair and light blue eyes. Identical to her own eyes. He was rather tall and wore a long-sleeved gray T-shirt and long faded blue jeans. A black truck sat in her mother's driveway and she looked over at the man as he grabbed her arms. She glared and jogged towards them.<p>

"What the hell's going on? Who are you?" She immediately demanded towards the man as she grabbed her mother's shoulders and softly pulled her away from him.

The man just continued to stare down at Melanie until a look of shock and realization flashed across his face. She glared at him and glanced at her mother who hung her head sorrowfully. She was confused and didn't like it. "Mom, are you alright? Who is this guy anyway?" She whispered pulling her slightly away from him to speak in private.

Melanie chocked back sobs and let some tears fall towards the dying grass beneath her feet as she hugged her shoulders. She was trying to figure out if she should tell her. She deserved to know the truth, but was she ready for things to get complicated? She knew things would if she knew. Especially if she was like Melody, she'd probably dig into information until she got her answers.

"Mom, tell me. What's going on?" Krista said warily placing a hand on her shoulder and looking down into her eyes. Krista let her gaze follow her head as Melanie slowly raised her head and looked into her light blue eyes. Her green eyes had a tint of redness from tears as she looked at her daughter's face.

"He's your father, Krista." She said quietly. She could see it, the resemblance between the girl and her husband. She had his proud nose and the same blue eyes; the same mouth and smile. It wouldn't be hard to notice their father and daughter.

Krista backed up a step. "What? You told my father was dead." She said furrowing her eyebrows confused. She looked at Melanie's face and glanced at Benjamin. She guessed this man could be her father, but shook it off and stared back at her mother for her explanation.

"You told her I was dead? Why would you do that, Melanie?" Ben asked stepping towards just as confused as Krista was. Melanie glanced between the two and bit her lip.

"I know I've lied to both of you and I'm so sorry for doing so. Krista, when you were a baby, that's when Benjamin took your sister Melody with him. I was afraid he'd take you too so I faked my death, remember when I told Melody and you that day? I decided to keep you and raise you since I couldn't help Melody though I've always wanted to. I also kept my well-being secret too. I knew Melody would try to find me if she knew. She must've come to see you that day. Ben, I don't know what I'm saying, but I'm considering trusting you. You just have to promise me something, okay?" She said looking up at him and into his eyes.

Benjamin felt slightly relieved that Melanie was at least considering trusting him. He wanted to change. He wanted to be the man he used to be before all the mess that had started when his sister died. He looked down into the eyes that haunted him every time he closed his eyes with compassion. "Anything." He said with a grin, encouraging her to tell him the promise.

"You have to promise me you'll at least try to change. I know that may sound self-centered or selfish, but I want you back. And I mean you, the man I first met at the dance so long ago. The nervous and stumbling one who had me wrapped around his finger the moment he said the first sentence." She said with a grin remembering so long ago.

Benjamin chuckled in slight embarrassment recalling the moment. "My hi Benjamin name is." He said making her chuckle at the words.

"Exactly." She said with a smile. She stared into his eyes and she could almost see him, that teenage boy with the nervous smile and awkward stance. She sighed in contentment. Maybe, now things might change. Maybe there'd be peace amongst them. She wasn't saying she wanted her husband back so she could kiss him and other things, but she wanted her friend back. The one that made her feel happy and safe whenever she saw him. The man that her father despised because he knew he would be right for her. She smiled remembering her father. She missed him so much. She wondered if was even still alive. She was glad one thing had been passed down from him and into her family. His chocolate brown eyes; the same color as Melody's were. Her siblings, all three of them, had either blue or green or even hazel eyes. But, through the line, her father had passed down the eyes that made her joyful when she was younger every time he came home from missions before he finally retired. She sighed and looked over at Krista. At that moment, the three heard a loud squeal come from the backyard and Krista smiled when she saw her husband and their children playing. Her oldest, Viktoria, was climbing on him while Jazmine giggled and clapped her hands happily on the ground as she sat on a quilt near the back porch with numerous toys of different shape, size, and color lay around her.

"I think it's time you met your granddaughters, Benjamin." Melanie said taking his lower forearm with her hand.

"My granddaughters?" He asked with a grin and scoff.

"Yes, I think they'll be happy to meet you also. And, you can meet your son-in-law." Krista said with a slight grin and looked up at him. She walked backwards towards the yard then turned when Jazmine laughed happily at her mother's approaching figure.

Benjamin felt his heart skip happily at their sound of joy. At that moment, he vowed to himself to be better than he was with Melody. It was his mistake that made her the way she was, now he was going to pay for that by the pain he felt whenever he thought of her or someone mentioned her name. He hoped it wouldn't last long, the pain at least. He would always remember her and the times where he'd observe her when she was playing outside with Rebecca or some of the children that came with his old military friends. He remembered when she was about five or six and she stood behind him as she watched another child walk away from the facility. She had tried to slip her hand into his at his side. He remembered the hurtful way he forced his hand from hers and the look of pain and sadness in her eyes. He wished he could jump into that memory and grab her from her sorrowful stance. He wished he could tell her how sorry he was for all he had done and tell her that he did love her though he never dared say it then. Maybe things would've been different. Would she have joined Shepherd that day? Would she be happy and smiling when he visited her that day with that Captain MacTavish. He sighed and pushed those thoughts away as he walked into the backyard with Melanie holding his arm in a friendly fashion and Krista holding her youngest daughter and kissing her round, pink cheeks.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry if it's been a while since I updated. Been busy with school and other crap:) But, what do ya think? Do you think Benjamin will change? Do you think Melody's family will ever learn of her secret and that she's actually alive? Though it may seem obvious, what do you think MacTavish's surprise is? Don't be scared to review and press the little button directly below. VVV it won't bite I promise VVV ;) **

**Well, you guys are awesome as always and I love ya all! Until next time, bye!**


	3. Chapter 3: Anna Issues

"I still wanna see Auntie Melody, Daddy." Avery said sadly looking at the back of his head as he messed around in the kitchen.

"I know you do, Avery. I just don't think now's the right time. Let her have some alone time; she's trying to get everything settled before you visit." He said turning towards her and placed a plate in front of her.

Avery sighed through her nose and looked down at the plate of food before her. She arched an eyebrow at the sandwich as she noticed it was rather firm for a 'PB&J'. As Simon turned to get the door that someone had knocked on a second earlier she took a piece of the crust less bread and peeled it back slightly. She giggled softly when she pressed a finger against the cold, firm peanut butter squished in between the strawberry jelly. Avery closed the sandwich and decided to chew on the apple slices until her father was done with the guest at the door.

"What, can't an uncle come see his own niece? Oh yeah, hey Simon." Blake's chuckle came from the door, bouncing against Avery's ears.

Avery gasped and turned to see the tall figure of her uncle at the door. His short, blonde hair was spiked and he wore a light brown T-shirt with a grey jacket over it; long faded blue jeans and black tennis shoes. She jumped from her chair and immediately ran towards him.

"Uncle Blake!" She happily called as she jumped into his waiting arms. Blake chuckled at the girl as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and shoveled her head into the hollow of his shoulder. She was happy to see her uncle after so long. She breathed in his scent; she picked up the slight smell of aftershave.

"Blake, were you going on a date?" She asked as Blake sat her back on her feet. She stared up into his eyes as Simon chuckled, clearly amused by the question.

Blake arched an annoyed eyebrow at Simon and looked down at his niece. "Now why would you ask that?" He said ignoring Simon's laughter. He didn't see what was so funny at the idea of him on a date.

"You smell nice. Like Daddy did at my kindergarten graduation. He told me it was for a special occasion, so I asked Auntie Melody what he meant and she told me some used it for dates or parties and other stuff. Who is she, Blake? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" She said happily bouncing in place as she tugged lightly on his hand.

Blake chuckled. "I was on a date with a girl, kiddo. And, I also came to talk to Simon. And see you of course; my favorite little niece in the whole world!" He said quickly taking her by her waist and holding at his hip again.

Avery giggled loudly at him. "But, Uncle Blake, I'm your only niece." She said through her laughs.

Blake glanced at Simon who just shrugged his shoulders with a look. "Has anyone told you you're too smart for your own good?" Blake teased softly tickling her stomach.

"You do, all the time." She said giving him a 'duh!' look.

"Avery, why didn't you eat your sandwich, yet?" Simon asked looking at the plate.

Avery glanced up at Blake then back at Simon. "You know you're not supposed to put the peanut butter in the fridge, right?" She asked arching an eyebrow.

Blake busted into laughter at her words and Simon just glared at him with an embarrassed tint in his eyes. "Well, I know now." He said picking at the bread on the plate.

"Though Aunt Melody sucked completely at cooking, she could at least make a decent sandwich." Avery said with a giggle.

"Aunt Melody?" Blake asked putting Avery back down on her feet as she walked away to try and eat the rest of her lunch.

"It's a long and complicating story. What did you want anyway?" Simon said leaning against the counter as Blake pulled out a chair and sat down with his chest to the back. Simon walked over and took a seat across from him.

"Well, this morning when I went on a breakfast date with Hailey, she was telling me about her cousin that was coming in for the weekend. She just graduated from med-school and got a job as a nurse at the hospital a couple blocks down the road. I was thinking that maybe, since she was twenty-five and you were twenty-six. I thought that you two could at least meet. She told me all about her and she sounds like a nice girl-"He quickly rushed out the last part of his explanation as he saw Simon's look of annoyance as he forced himself from his chair and rolled his eyes at Blake.

"No, Blake. I'm not going out with her. I don't care if she's the nicest girl on the planet. I'm… just not ready, okay?" Simon said turning and grabbing the peanut butter jar and screwing the lid back on with an unsure look on his face as he stared at the red and yellow paper on its front.

"Oh c'mon, Riley!" He said pausing to lean over and whisper to him as he stepped away towards the fridge to put the jelly up. Blake followed him and continued his sentence in a hushed tone. "It's been six years now, Simon. Anna wouldn't want you to alone." He said glancing back at Avery who was biting into the bread.

Simon just took a deep breath through the nose and closed his eyes slowly; pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't care if it's six years or matter of fact, one hundred years; I am not ready to date again, okay? And besides, I'm not alone. I have Avery. I have to watch her and I think some woman I don't even know won't help her with her Anna problems." He whispered back at him glancing at Avery's face as she wrinkled her nose against the taste of the frozen peanut butter.

Avery looked at the two as she heard her mother's name amongst the hushed words. "I don't have problems with Momma. I just want to know more about her." She said softly; hanging her head shyly as she stared down at the sandwich in her hands.

Simon glanced at Blake with an 'I told you so' look on his face then turned and walked towards Avery. "Avery, I know you want to know about Anna and I promise I will. I just… I don't want you to worry about anything that Uncle Blake just said, okay?" He said removing the sandwich in her hand and replaced it with his hands squeezing them in comfort.

"I know. I think you should go out with the lady, Daddy. You never know who you're meeting exactly." She said staring at him with her large, kind blue-green eyes.

Simon sighed as he heard her use Anna's old saying. He remembered she'd always use that when he wasn't sure about some people. He just patted her hand once and pushed himself away from the two. Avery and Blake exchanged a glance and watched him walk into his room.

Inside his room, Simon stood in front of a dresser and took in a deep breath as he opened the long, thin drawer. Amongst some clothes, he noticed Anna's old bright pink T-shirt. Her old basketball team shirt. He sighed and noticed a frame tucked away underneath a pair of jeans. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly and tucked his hand under the fabric and pulled it out to get a better look at the picture it held under the glass. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Anna staring at him with a bright smile on her face; blue-green eyes taunting him with their kindness and softness. He was glad she never had to see the things he saw and went through. He never wanted such cruelty and violence to taint her innocent eyes. He remembered when that was taken. She was about eight months pregnant with Avery.

_**Six Years Ago**_

"_Simon, come here, you gotta check this out! It's so flippin' amazing!" She squealed happily as she sat on the couch softly caressing her swollen stomach. Simon placed the newspaper down on the table and walked into the living room towards his wife with a smile._

"_What is it, Anna?" He asked sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders._

"_Gimme your hand." She ordered instantly and took his two fingers of his left hand and placed them near the lower side of her stomach. "Ya feel that?" She asked once staring into her eyes with a bubbling excitement. He shook his head 'no' once and she slightly furrowed her eyebrows and placed it on a better position._

"_Now do you feel that? That little 'bomp bomp bomp'? That's where her heart is!" She said happily imitating the beat in her southern accent._

_Simon smiled uncontrollably at the small beating against her skin. It really sunk into him at that moment that there was a life they had made together. Yes, he had known there was a living human inside of her, but thinking of how it was their own gift of love. Their own miracle. Their soon to be daughter or son. The doctors said it was for sure a boy, but Anna kept saying it was going to be a girl and the doctors were wrong. He smiled at the thought. _

"_Yeah, I feel it. It's amazing." He said with an absentminded smile on his face._

_Anna squealed lightly and placed both of her hands on her stomach in an attempt of hugging her baby though she had to settle with softly hugging her stomach. "I can't wait for you to get here, baby. You're going to love it! I have your room all planned out. I want you to feel like a princess always. I bought the prettiest little pink canopy the other day to place over your crib and there's little pink signs everywhere on the walls that you're grandma made for you and in big bold letters spells out 'Princess Avery'. Oh, I just know you'll adore it. Though, you won't really be able to take it in but still. I love you so much!" She whispered happily towards her stomach. She always "talked" to her baby. She was so happy to have her own child, especially with Simon. She always knew she wanted children one day and when she met Simon when they were both sixteen, she could see it in his eyes. _

"_Simon, I was thinking that when we moved after the baby is born, we get a porch over-seeing the ocean. That way we could drink strawberry milk and watch the sun go down. Wouldn't that be an awesome home for her childhood! I know I would've wanted something like that. I was always stuck with cows and goats and ponds. I've never seen a real ocean besides pictures and movies. I wonder if it's as beautiful in real life." She sighed laying her head against his shoulder with a content smile._

_Simon smiled at her idea. He wanted the best for their daughter since he never got such a good home life when he was younger. He shivered remembering the tears and pain he experienced. Anna caught his shiver and pulled herself slowly and carefully up to look at his face with a wary face._

"_Are you okay, baby?" She asked placing a cold hand on his cheek with an almost pout on her lips. She didn't like seeing him unhappy and she knew by that look that he was thinking of his childhood. She frowned and quickly pressed her lips against his and kissed him. She smiled when she knew he snapped back into the present as he began to kiss back._

"_I love you, Simon. I always will." She promised placing her forehead against his with a smile. Simon grinned back and placed a hand against her neck and kissed her lips once more._

"_I love you too, Anna, forever." He said pulling back to look into her soft blue-green eyes._

Simon snapped out of his memory when he felt something wet trickle down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away and placed the picture back in the drawer and stuffed it back under the jeans. He now remembered why it was there in the first place. He loved and missed Anna, but he couldn't stand the pain of knowing he never fulfilled her dream. He and Avery had to move constantly and she never got to sleep and rest in her room amongst the pink decorations and never got to rest under the princess canopy. He never got to sit with his wife and child and watch the sun disappear behind the ocean waves. He sighed and placed a hand on the dresser for support and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Anna." He whispered before walking back out of the room and towards the kitchen where Blake was on the ground, propped upright on his knees as he cupped his hands towards his chest. Avery must've convinced him to play her favorite game of animal trainer. She loved to watch her "pet" do the silly things she commanded. He remembered playing it with her or watching her play outside with Melody. He sighed as he looked at her smiling. Anna's face from the recent memory flashed across his skull. She was smiling about her heartbeat. She was smiling for her daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know the update was kinda fast, but I really wanted to write this chapter. I intended to include Anna more, but I guess I never got around to it in the sequel. Hopefully, more "Anna moments" will be included in the upcoming chapters. If you want; do you want more Anna chapters? If so, let me know in the reviews and thank you all for reading and sticking along with me even though it's obvious the story has started to downfall. And please, I don't mean to be mean or anything of the sort, but please no saying that it isn't downfalling. Basically because some might be saying I'm asking for sympathy when I'm not. I was just saying so... Oh God, I hope that didn't sound shallow! But anyway, thanks for joining the "journey" and I hope you've all enjoyed so far. If not, then you don't have to keep reading:) **

**But, getting off topic here, thanks, you are awesome and I hope you have a wonderful day:)**


	4. Chapter 4: Voices from the past

"No way; you totally suck right now!" Melody said looking at the cards in MacTavish's hands. They had been playing the same game for hours and she lost each round. She had vowed she wouldn't give up until she won at least one round of their game, but it looks as though that objective had failed. Failed quite intensely.

MacTavish just chuckled at her annoyance and anger. "If I suck so much then how come I keep winning?" He jeered leaning towards her with a mocking grin.

Melody wrinkled her nose at him and stuck out her tongue. "You still suck, though I might be the reigning queen of that competition." She sighed placing the cards on the table and resting her elbows against the tabletop; settling her eyes back on MacTavish in front of her.

MacTavish had healed successfully from the surgery and unfortunately gained another scar amongst the numerous collections on his skin. Though some might hate the idea of a permanent scar, MacTavish and Melody were fine with it. MacTavish didn't care because he had so many at that point that would it really matter if he complained about it; he'd still have numerous others. Melody didn't care, because to her all that mattered was that he was alright and they both have many scars on them so she jokingly called them the 'scarred couple'. Melody had been explaining the long story of how Anatoly had disobeyed Makarov's orders and revived her; MacTavish had glared at the tabletop angrily when Melody answered Dunn's question if it had hurt or if she felt anything during the surgeries she had. She was hesitant when she answered, but she told him she remembered feeling pressure and pain, but she was too afraid and confused of what was going on to scream or flinch. She could tell MacTavish didn't like the thought of her on a table and being pocked and prodded at like some science experiment. Becca was just happy that Melody was alive and that MacTavish was alright. Melody was glad they had been able to spend time with the other, but they both had duties now. Things were going to get difficult now that they had Jenna and that Melody was with them again. Price sometimes thought to himself that the team was now complete. It wasn't very vacant and absent without Melody, but he was glad the girl had returned to them.

MacTavish leaned towards Melody which caused her heart to race. She had gone three years without MacTavish and she had forced herself to forget about him, so now when he grew close to her she could feel the nervousness and the awkward feeling rise in her chest just like she had when she first met him. When he saw her in the shooting area; when he got close and she caught herself staring. That's what she was doing now, staring. Although, now it was in his eyes instead of his chest. Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, which they hadn't done since Melody visited him in the hospital, he hesitated and placed his forehead against hers and whispered.

"Melody, we still have to talk about us and our families." He said trying to lead their attention from his hesitation and towards another topic that he first thought of.

Melody sighed and pulled her head from his and looked at him. "I told you before; I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe it'd be better if my parents think I'm dead." She said softly looking at her folded hands; anything to avoid his disapproving gaze.

"I don't think so. I'm not saying the whole world has to know of your 'resurrection' just your family. When we left to tell your dad of your death; he actually looked devastated. He told us to leave just moments after the news." He said reaching over and taking her folded hands.

Melody looked up into his eyes and she could tell he wasn't lying. She swallowed back the words she wanted to say and just nodded her head twice. "I have to see Jenna. Try to get something out of her." She then said trying to take the topic off of her.

Before he could answer her, she bolted from the table; slightly causing the cards to shuffle off the side and towards the grey carpeted floor beneath them. Even though she could feel his eyes on the back of her head, she kept walking down the long hall of the building and towards the second floor office. Price had kept the building that she had told her secret to him in, the one in New York. Each particular hall held a small memory for her. The one on the second floor was where she had unknowingly changed her future by telling Price she was really Melody instead of Kallen. The first floor she had walked out so many times, non-stop conversation with Becca as they left for the day. She smiled thinking of her friend and all the things that had been keeping each other up to date on; topics to cover three years of absence. She was glad to hear that she was with Dunn now and that she wasn't so lonely. Melody was glad that Becca had been able to cope with her absence. That's what she always wanted the second before her death; the second when she realized that was going to the last time she got to look at MacTavish. She sighed through her nose as she began to walk down the long stairways towards the third floor; things had changed so much in three years. As she absentmindedly sped down the stairs, she found herself bumping against someone. She gasped and looked to see Ramirez standing in front of her with the same shocked expression.

"Ramirez, gosh, I'm sorry. I guess my mind's just so…" She let out a breath trying to find the right word for the description of her mind.

"Packed? And it's no problem; my mind's pretty jacked up at the moment also." He said grinning towards her.

Melody scoffed half-heartedly. She had never really talked to Ramirez before; maybe casual nods as they passed each other in the old halls of the secret Task Force building, but any real conversation would be scarcely small. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear nervously as she looked at the Private before her. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see you still here, Ramirez." She said trying to have a conversation. There was going to be a time when she had to have one with him, now was as good a time as any.

He just grinned. "Whatdya mean by that?" He teased trying to cause a small roll of nervousness in her. Melody thought he had been around Dunn too long.

"Nothing, well I mean that I'm surprised you hadn't gone back to your family or anything. A young man like you must have someone special at home waiting for him, right?" She rushed out nervously.

Ramirez just chuckled at her. "Yeah, I have my parents and other family. But, when Price had given the call to Dunn and Foley; I knew I had to join in. I was there with you guys when you started and I decided that I'm going to be here until the end." He said tucking his hands in his front pockets.

Something about his words made something inside Melody turn on; as if it was some kind of light bulb within her. She was hesitant about joining Price and the others again; that she was going to wreck things if she displayed her secret. That's why she had remained loyal to Anatoly until the day she had orders to kill Simon Riley. Ugh, that name made a million memories flash in her skull. She had forgotten about him and Avery; she felt so awful for doing so, but when she was around her past… Things from the past filled her mind and drove other thoughts away.

"I know what you mean, Ramirez. Well, I hope everything turns out alright while you're on the team…" She said as she started to walk away from him. Then another popped into her head and even though she hadn't wanted to say it; it was like something made her say and she knew she had to or she wouldn't relax until she told him. "And Ramirez, make sure you keep those you love close, okay? You never know what can happen until it's too late." She said turning around and looking into his hazel eyes.

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows at her words, but nodded since she looked wary and he knew she wasn't going to continue on to whatever she was doing until he replied in some manner. Melody looked down at her feet nervously then turned on her heel and continued to speed through the halls and stairs until she made it to the interrogation room Price was in with Jenna.

When she did make it towards the door, she could hear Jenna's screams of pain from the hallway. She closed her eyes and cringed. Jenna was a traitor now and she knew she couldn't be trusted, but she still remembered that innocent woman she first met. Her friend when she thought the only thing close to a relationship of any kind was the charade she created with Anatoly. She sighed and forced her feet forward towards the door. Price was standing over her and his cigar was lit, but the burning end was pressed against the skin of her collarbone. They both heard her as the creaked slowly open and she hesitantly walked in the dark room. The only light in the room was the dim light that hung over them and the light streaming in from the opened door. Jenna eased her head over towards her direction and glared instantly though her face burning with cuts and bruises.

Melody refused to look at her face and settled towards Price's as he stepped towards her, burning out his cigar and placing it on the desk in the corner. "Price, I need to talk to her. Alone." She whispered looking into his light blue eyes.

Price just glanced unsure at Jenna then back at Melody's worrisome face. "I don't know, are you sure you're alright with- "He began arching his eyebrows unsure of the idea.

"Yes, Price. I think I can handle talking to someone on my own." She said crossing her arms against her chest and glanced towards Jenna who had kept her eyes on her lap with a weary look on her face.

Price just shrugged and straightened his boonie hat on his head and stepped from her way towards the door. "Fine, she's all yours. Have fun." He said bluntly and closed the door behind him.

Melody looked at the closed door for a moment then settled her eyes against Jenna's form. She slowly walked closer towards her and drug the over-turned chair from the corner with her and sat in front of her. She hadn't known exactly what she was going to say, but she wanted answers. She was tired of being confused.

"Jenna, why did you do all this, anyway? Besides Ian." She said folding her hands on her lap and leaned slightly towards her, eyes searching for any emotion at the name of her deceased husband; nothing. Not a cringe or hateful scowl at her voice. She looked like she could be unconscious, but the fact that her eyes were open and she responded to what was happening calmly quickly debunked those thoughts.

Just when she sighed and thought she was going to say anything out of stubbornness; she heard Jenna's low and wavering voice. "My dad used to beat me and my older sister, Megan when we were younger. We're kind of the same Melody, in a way. Your father would hit you and you've experienced the absolute terror of rape. At least you got it from some guy you thought you cared about." She said staring at the ground with a frown.

Melody stood looking down at her with an almost sympathetic look on her face. "You're trying to make me pity you, tell some lie to think we're alike when we can never be." Melody quickly said in fear she was right.

Jenna just chuckled coldly. "C'mon, Johnston. We both know I'm not lying. Sure I might be using the guilt-trip technique, but what I'm saying is he stole my innocence. I never had a normal childhood or life before my sister and I escaped. He took away my mental safety. I wanted to stop everyone in the world like that so no one would have to face what I felt. After Anatoly and Ian's death, I realized just how cold this world is. My friend betraying me and killing the only man I could have ever trusted and now I can never see my son because of what you've done-"She said darkly and glared towards her.

"I never did those things; you brought them on yourself, Jenna! I told you we could've escaped him and you and Ian could be with your son again, but you chose to believe him even though you knew perfectly well how much of a liar he was!" Melody said loudly with an angered expression.

"Oh, just shut your mouth, princess. That's all you'll ever be. Some 'fragile little girl' who needs some man to make her happy and sane. You're so fake, Melody." She said chuckling.

Melody furrowed her eyebrows at her, first with hate, then shock when she realized how right she was. She was pathetic, if you think about it. She completely lost her calm and ease when MacTavish was shot, she let so many things happen because she was worried about getting her record stained instead of worrying for others. She was fake. She couldn't take it anymore though she knew that just added to the topic Jenna pulled up; running away instead of facing this head-on. She could've gone to MacTavish, but she felt stupid even considering it.

She barged into the room she and MacTavish shared. He was gone now on a meeting with Price and Ramirez and was going to meet the others wherever they held the meeting at. She quickly threw the shirt off her back and all she wore now was her camisole and her long camo pants. Her face burned with embarrassment and all she wanted to do was disappear. She leaned against a small thin table the hall leading towards the bathroom and the main bedroom. She felt confused and scared; she looked down towards her arms and saw the long scars that had been carved into her skin the night after she killed Ian. She remembered the pain of feeling the box knife peel slowly into her skin over and over. Scars like that lay all over her body and haunted her of everything she had done. Every lie she told. Her eyes traced the scars until she was looking at herself in the mirror in front of her. A tear began to roll down her eyes as her shaky fingers stroked the scars along her cheekbones and the pink scar that interrupted the hairs on her thin eyebrow and skimmed her eyelid and continued down the line until it slightly curved towards the corner of her mouth and ended. In anger at that moment, the memory of Ian, and the fact she let herself get this way; she picked up the vase sitting on the table, backed up a step and threw it harshly, releasing a grunt, towards the mirror shattering the image of her scarred figure. Glass flew in different directions and all she could feel was the emotions that used to lead to her mental breakdowns. She didn't want that; she didn't want to be her old self. As she thought about it; she realized she could be endangering her whole team and MacTavish with her strange behaviors and the risk of her having a "tantrum" as her shrinks would describe it. She backed up towards the wall in terror of becoming that crazed Melody again and slammed her back against the wall behind her. She let out a huff of breath then slowly slid down the smooth blue solid until she felt herself touch the ground. The room was dark because she hadn't turned on a single light since she had entered the small apartment. Her shoulders shook violently and her whole body shivered and all she could feel was pain and fear. She hated being this way. She finally brought her knees close to her chest and buried her face away in her knees and she began to cry. Not for her, but everything around her. She couldn't understand anything and she was scared. She was scared those old emotions would rise to the surface and she would begin to hear the voices again. Urgh, she shivered remembering the cold and cruel voices in the back of her head.

'_I always knew you'd end up being a freak, Mells.' Darren's voice taunted in the back of her head._

She placed her hands against her head and clutched to her hair and prayed that the pain in the feeling of her hair tugged at would make the voices disappear. It didn't work.

'_Just admit it, Melody, you're a failure. You've never been able to lead or be normal. Hell, you're the reason I'm dead. The reason we're all dead.' She then heard Ronan's dreamy Australian-tainted voice taunt her._

Her head screamed and her whole frame burned and all she could feel was failure. "No, no, no. Please, no." She begged at the voices as tears rolled down her cheeks and splattered against her knees. She could feel her body tremble and she could hear herself in the back of her mind. Her voiced wavered and sounded as though it was blocked with water. That must be the saliva from the non-stop tears and sobs that shook her frame.

'_Mommy? What happened to me, Mommy? I can't feel anything. It hurts now Mommy! Mommy! Help me Mommy! Mommy!' A small female voice screamed in the back of her head. It was Gracie._

"No!" Melody said loudly trying to block that voice amongst the others as well.

'_He's hurting me Mommy! Where are you! Why aren't you here to protect me! Why don't you love me Mommy?' Came Charlie's small terrified voice amongst Gracie's cries._

Melody lost it there. She began to scream against the voices. She began to scratch at her skin on her scalp to shut the voices up. She sat there in the dark hallway shrieking against the voices and clawing at her skin; tears rolled down her cheeks likes floods and her body shook in fear and from the sobs. Out of all the terrifying and taunting voices she heard a new voice, a different voice. She didn't know who it was but she thought the person sounded like an angel compared to the others. She felt someone take her hands and force her to stop clawing at herself.

"Melody! Melody, listen to me right now! You have to stop, Melody!" The voice said loudly taking her face into his hands.

Before the nerves and attack led her into a short, unconscious sleep, she saw two cool pools of blue. Then she felt her eyelids close over her sight and she felt herself fall asleep in the unknown friend arms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I know, another quick update:) But, this is the first chapter in Come What May, or CWM for short, with Melody and MacTavish and the Task Force. I hope it all isn't confusing and if it is I'm sorry. But, what did you think about it? Did you like that I used Ramirez? I've always wanted to use more of our favorite Rangers, but once again, never got around to. I'm just a lazy writer lol:P But, let me know what you think about this chapter in the reviews or in some sort of way. And honest opinion please! Good or bad; I've learned to cope with them:)**

***Psst* I was also wanting to ask something. First an explanation so the question isn't confusing. To my fans; I usually listen to music that reminds me of this story when I write so I can have some inspiration while I write (sounds weird I know, but I love music!) And I was wondering if you guys could help me with some new songs? You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you guys know any songs that might remind you of this story or if you think they're awesome, let me know! I'm open to anything except Metal (No offense to metal fans! Just not my particular cup of tea). But, like I said you don't have to if you don't want to or if you don't know any. I still have plenty of music to go with that are my favorites. But, anyway off of me. You guys are awesome!**

**Too Lazy To Log In (or whatever your real username is:) I'm glad someone noticed that! I honestly think no one would, but you'll just have to see ;)**

**And all my other reviewers you are all wonderful and good sports for sticking with me. I have to say I'm lucky to have some fans on here. Which I know aren't many. There are hundreds of very talented authors on here! So, just thanks for not ditching when you could've. One virtual hug from me; unless that's too weird then we can just hand shake or a simple nod of the head :) But, ah! I'm rambling on again, sorry! Enjoy the rest of you day and hope you've accomplished your daily goals! *I so didn't, I can't get anything done lol***


	5. Chapter 5:Nightmares & a familiar face

What time was it? How long had she been out? Her head pounded but she guessed that was from the clawing and tugging she had previously done. She felt her back against a soft but firm material and realized she was lying on a couch. The interruption in the cushions pushed against her backbone and pressed uncomfortably against her skin. Her face wasn't burning anymore and she felt something damp and cool press against her forehead softly as something thin and cool brushed against her neck; probably checking her pulse. It must've been rapid during her attack because past the voices she could hear a beat at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. She furrowed her eyebrows before she forced her heavy eyelids open as she heard and felt a husky, masculine voice blow against her skin and caused goose bumps to roll across her skin. Her vision was blurred at first, but when she realized she didn't know the face in front of her, she gasped loudly and sat up away from the stranger.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there." The man said in a calm voice and stared into her eyes.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" She immediately demanded and swatted away his hands that tried to calm her.

"If you calm down and let me explain, I'll tell you." He said looking into her eyes again even though she glared at him. She knew he wasn't going to say anything until she sat back down instead of her attempt of a protective crouch away from him on the unstable couch cushions.

He watched her scramble back to a comfortable position with a wary glance then decided he should begin before she tried to kill him or something else. "I'm a friend of Captain Price, well sort of. My team worked with him on Operation Kingfish about five or so years ago. When my team died three years ago, I was the only that survived. Price called me up and wondered if I wanted a job. I thought, 'what the hell; I've been doin' nothing but sit around might as well do something to shake off the boredom'." He paused catching something sticking from her left calf. He reached down and took the thin solid in his fingers and wrenched it out.

"Fuck!" She squealed as the thin sheet of glass was torn from her calf. She hadn't known it was there until now. She had thought she felt something in her leg, but didn't think about it too much.

He held the glass in his fingers; it looked to be about two inches tall and barely a centimeter thick. He arched an eyebrow at the glass then turned his attention to Melody. "Sorry. How'd you not feel that?" He asked with a smirk as he tossed the piece of glass towards the trash can in the kitchen but slumped his shoulders with a slight frown when he missed by an inch.

"Just got used to it, ya know?" She said rubbing against the new scratch to her skin.

He just grunted and decided to continue his story. "Name's Derek Westbrook, but most people just call me Frost." He said moving her hand from her calf to look at it better.

Melody blushed as he touched her skin. She wasn't used to anyone but MacTavish touching her scarred skin. Actually, she barely liked anyone to touch her now. Once he thought it didn't look real bad he just rested his elbow on his knee and looked up at her with his frosty blue eyes. Melody jokingly wondered if that's how he got his nickname.

"So, how do you know me anyway? How'd you get here?" She asked hiding her red cheeks and tucked away an imaginary loose strand behind her ear.

"Well, Price sent me dossiers of this Task Force's members, including Captain MacTavish's, Corporal Dunn's, Private Ramirez's, Sergeant Foley's, and Sergeant Rebecca Price. Are they related? I know that's kind of a dumb question, but still."

Melody scoffed at the thought. She was used to people knowing Becca was Price's daughter so explaining the whole thing would be different. "Yeah, but everyone calls her Becca by the way. It's a long story so I hope you don't want to hear it 'cause I don't have the patience right now." Melody said placing a hand against her throbbing forehead.

"I guess not. But anyway, Price gave me the coordinates to this building and while I was looking around for somebody, I heard screaming, followed it, and found you in the hallway. I recognized your face from the picture and once you passed out, I sat you on the couch. Did you know you talked in your sleep? Kept mentioning some people named, Darren, Ronan, Charlie, and Gracie. I think that's their names." He said looking towards the ceiling as if it'd display the correct answer.

Melody blushed again as she remembered the dream and the voices. Had she really talked? Embarrassing. "So, Frost, what do you think Price wanted with you? I mean, don't take this harshly, but I've never even heard of you in the files of Operation Kingfish." She said wrapping her arms around her knees as he sat in a more comfortable position since he thought she wasn't going to go "full-on-psycho" on him again. He pressed his back against the couch cushions and slightly craned his neck to look at her as she sat three feet away from him.

"Well, he told me he was creating this squad and he was only choosing the best and those he could trust. He told me he thought that since he could trust Sandman and since Sandman trusted me, then he could trust me…. I don't think that made since." He chuckled at himself.

She just scoffed. Price seemed to have a lot of friends and plans in mind for some simple protection squad; that is, if that's what he had in mind. Who knows, he always seemed to be doing something.

"So, I should probably try and trust you, huh?" She said looking down at him with a grin.

"Well, I hope so." He said returning her grin with a smirk.

She continued to look into his eyes until she heard Becca's voice trailing down the hall and position itself towards the door and causing it to fling open. Her mouth was wide with joy then her face burned a bright red of embarrassment as they both jumped from the couch to their feet with equally shocked faces.

"Um, sorry. I didn't know you had, uh, company." Becca said shyly.

"It's alright, I was just leaving. See ya later, Melody and uh, Becca, right?" He said lightly tapping his chin to get her nickname straight since he had told himself to remember Rebecca before.

Melody lifted two fingers in a wave of farewell as he disappeared behind the door. Becca immediately widened her eyes and her mouth gaped open in complete shock. Melody arched an eyebrow at her friend and tightened the blanket that had been around her shoulders as she sat back down on the couch.

"What's up, Becca?" Melody asked calmly as she brushed away loose strands that swung and tickled her face.

"What's up? I did have something to tell you, but I think this is more important at the moment." Becca said crossing her arms with a stern face.

Melody scoffed and furrowed her eyebrows at her. "What is your deal, Becca? Are you alright?" She asked.

"Am I alright? You should be asking yourself that question, Melody. What were you doing with him? Alone?" Becca said waving a hand towards the door Frost left in.

Melody bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "It's hard to explain, Becca." She didn't want to tell her friend that she had another "episode". She was too embarrassed to admit that she was gotten out of hand on the whole case. Becca just sighed and rolled her eyes at her annoyed.

"You're damn straight. I won't tell MacTavish about this, but you shouldn't be alone with someone you don't even know. Especially guys you don't know when you're sort of engaged to MacTavish." Becca immediately started lecturing her.

Melody just sighed and said nothing because she didn't want to hear that from her. It wasn't like she chose to be alone with him, she just was. He came and helped her even though he could've just walked on by and pretend he didn't hear her. Becca grunted annoyed at her friend and stormed from the room and down the stairs.

Melody looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed it was about ten thirty and night and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and pray this day was a dream. She was surprised MacTavish was back yet. She sighed knowing she wouldn't hear her lullaby tonight. She did her usual, brushed out her wavy hair and brushed her teeth before changing into her white cotton shorts and pink tank top and slipped into the cool sheets. As she lay there on her side, she rested her head against her arm as she stared at a picture that was taken of her and MacTavish when they first met. At Foley's wedding. She sighed remembering dancing with him. She propped herself up and reached into the drawer of the night stand and pulled out the velvet black box that held her precious engagement ring carefully inside. She stroked the smooth material then placed the ring on her finger. It had been a while since she wore it and it felt different on her hand. She slightly smiled as the feeling returned to her when she wore it. She always had a happy emotion rush over her when she wore the ring.

When her heavy eyelids couldn't take it anymore, she carefully placed the ring back in the box and tucked it safely away in the drawer and fell asleep on her arm. She had been sleeping nicely until she began to dream. It had been a while since she had a real nightmare, so the fear in this one made her toss and turn.

_She stood in a long, fancy, white wedding dress in a room to herself. Her hair was fixed nicely and strands of her hair was curled and cupped perfectly around her jaw and neck. She looked like any bride from a magazine, but the fact that scared her was her expression and her eyes. Lon, thin, black lines ran down her cheeks from her eyes and terror shook her entire frame as tears continued to pour down her face and splatter against the expensive fabric and stain it with the mascara. She was alone; the room was decorated with beautiful red roses everywhere and the chairs that marked the aisle were lined with white silk over each chair. The aisle was bare and the flower girl baskets lay in a pile on a table, red and pink petals still lay on the white, weaved basket. There was no one there, not a soul for miles. She was abandoned at her own wedding, even MacTavish had disappeared. As tears streamed down her face, she heard a voice in the quiet._

"_Hope I'm not late." He said in a cold and harsh voice. He was mocking her._

_She spun around on her bare feet and saw him walking towards her with a sleek, black tuxedo and nicely combed blonde hair. "Get out of here! You ruined this! I was finally happy and then you showed up, you bastard!" She screamed and threw her high heel beside her towards him in anger and sadness._

"_Now, that's not the right attitude, Melody. It is your wedding, right?" He mocked eyes tracing her frame and large white dress._

_She then broke down in tears and crumbled to her knees, sobs and tears shaking her body. The man disappeared and she was left to wallow in the disaster of a ruined wedding. Everyone was gone; MacTavish was so angry with her for what she had done; lying to him. Melody continued to cry in agony at the terrible day until she felt her shoulders being shook and a cool and calm voice. Her heart wrenched when she heard the Scottish accent fill her ears._

"Melody? Melody, it's alright! You have to wake up, now." He said stroking her sweaty cheek and lightly shaking her awake.

She immediately sat straight up at the voice, causing her to butt heads with MacTavish in front of her. They both grunted in pain and Melody furrowed her eyebrows against the dull pain. MacTavish held his head in his right palm and looked at her sweaty and pale face.

"What's wrong? You were mumbling something in your sleep. Like, 'It was ruined' or 'he's gone'. Are you alright?" He asked taking her hand in his and looked into her terrified chocolate eyes. He didn't like to see her this way and he hated not knowing how he could help her.

Tears began to pour down her cheeks again as she took in the sight of his face and felt his warm hand and body heat on her cold skin. Without warning, she jumped towards him; wrapping her arms tight around his neck and pulling herself up to his lap. She crumbled towards him and broke down crying into his shoulder. MacTavish was shocked to see Melody this way. He had never seen her react this strongly to any of her dreams and he didn't know how to comfort her. He could tell, by the way she clung to him and shook with fear, the dream, more like a nightmare, was bad and she needed him. He just shook away the shock and wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her close. He wanted her to know she was safe and she didn't have to fear now that he was here. He wanted her to know that whatever happened he'd be there to make those nightmares vanished. He sighed and stroked her hair and muttered things into her ear to calm her down. But the only thought in his head; How could he comfort her and let her know those things when she refused to open up? Three years had hardened her again and he knew it was going to take some time to get her to fully trust him again.

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><p><strong>AN: Yup, another fast update!(: Well, as you can tell I have decided to use Frost even though I was kinda hesitant on it. I know some may argue on how he looks, but it is Fanfiction. I think that's why they make the playable character's appearance unknown; so us fans can decide and ponder and play with how he looks by our decision. So, I've pondered and played with the appearance and you'll see what I've come up with. So, let me know what you think about my display of Frost so far in the reviews and sorry I couldn't have all the Metal Team :( But Sandman, Grinch, and Truck still rock though they're not in the story. **

**Chapter Question: Who do you think it was that ruined Melody and MacTavish's "Wedding" in her dream and how do you think Melody's going to act further on in the story?**

**I would love to read what you come up with. Until next time, happy writing and reading! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Plans & Surprises

Melanie sat at the table looking through more old pictures with a smile. Things changed so much since her children were young. She wished she could've been stronger. Maybe she'd have Melody now and she and Krista might be normal sisters. Constant fighting and teasing but still loved each other. She sighed and tried to get that topic off her mind. She looked up sleepily as she heard shuffling come from the hallway. She smiled seeing little Viktoria rub her eyes and look up at her grandmother.

"Viky, what are you doing up?" Melanie asked as the five year old walked over and crawled onto her lap which Melanie had turned in her chair exactly for.

"Too many thoughts. My head won't hush." She said laying into her shoulder.

Melanie sighed and rested her cheek against the girl's soft sandy blonde hair. "I know how that is." She said looking forward towards the dark living room where Benjamin had unknowingly fallen asleep.

Viktoria followed her gaze and saw the man on the couch then looked up at her grandmother's face. "Is he really my grandpa? I mean, I never saw him before." Viktoria questioned with her large blue eyes.

"Yes, sweetheart. It's hard to explain though. But, he is." Melanie said looking down at her as they both heard small and rapid feet run down the hall. Little Jazmine appeared before them. She was almost two and could already walk and run. Krista wasn't so happy because her baby girls were growing up on her.

"What's wrong, Jazzy?" Viktoria asked looking protectively down at her baby sister.

Jazmine took a second to breathe and gather her some known words. "Excuse me!" She said in a whisper.

Melanie chuckled at her youngest granddaughter. "What for, Jazzy?" She asked looking down at the small girl.

She stuttered at first, trying to remember the words and then said in a whisper and leaned intensely towards them as if it was some kind of secret. "I bless you'd and no one was there to answer me." She said in a soft voice.

Viktoria hopped down from her lap and giggled at her little sister. "Jazzy's silly isn't she, granma?" She said with a wide grin. Melanie didn't answer but looked down at the two with a grin. She was happy with her daughter and granddaughters and as she looked into their smiling faces she began to worry about them. What was to happen to them as they grew older? She had thought both Krista and Melody were so innocent and would never see pain and cruelty, but Melody had grown up in Benjamin's grief and sadness and Krista had been living in a lie for her whole life until now. She prayed that the two young girls before her wouldn't have to endure the world her daughter and their aunt had to live in. She hoped they would have a happy life and their parents would never keep secrets and never cause them to wonder if they were the ones that caused trouble. She sighed as she heard a knock at the door. She furrowed her eyebrows and wondered who it could possibly be since it was a little after midnight. She told Viktoria to take Jazzy back to her room and that they both go to bed. She was honestly afraid who'd show up at the door now. Just in case and because her nerves were high at the moment from her anxious thoughts, she grabbed Jeremy's metal baseball bat by the door and slowly gripped the handle. Taking a deep breath, she could hear muted voices from behind the door. They sounded as if they were arguing over something. She couldn't really decide whether the voices were male, female, or both so she threw the door open and kept the bat in a steady grip. She gasped loudly in disbelief as the two turned from their muted conversation to look at her with equally shocked faces. There was a man, tall with ink black hair and ice blue eyes. The second made her heart skip a beat and the bat dropped from her numb hands with a loud, audible thud. She couldn't believe it. Twice she had thought this person to be dead; but twice she stood corrected and she stared into the woman's warm brown eyes. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she forced out a confused and anxious whisper.

"Melody?"

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><p>"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Melody whispered repeatedly against his neck. She clung to him like if she loosened her grip for one second he'd disappear and she'd never see or touch him again. MacTavish was still confused about why she was so sad and what she had dreamed but he wished again he could do something to calm her nerves. He then thought of something and had to pry her hands from his neck. She still kept close to him but folded her hands in her lap as he looked into her eyes with an encouraging grin. She was so glad she had him. She was still hesitant if she should tell him about her "attack" earlier, but she could see the joy and nervousness in his eyes as he pulled something from his back pocket.<p>

"I got a little something on the way back. Not exactly new but, uh, refurnished; you can say." He said holding it with one hand behind his back.

Melody then grew interested in what he was hiding from her. The dream still haunted her of course, but she didn't like being confused. "Well, what is it?" She pressed on slightly shaking his shoulders playfully.

He just chuckled. "I knew you'd get interested. But first turn around and sit on the edge of the bed." He said hesitantly as he glanced towards the ground.

She arched an eyebrow and gave him a look. "What are you talking about?" She pressed on with a grin.

He just rolled his eyes with an uncontrollable grin and placed a hand over her eyes. "Just do it, okay? Do what I say for once?" He joked as she nodded and swung her legs slightly over the side he had instructed her to. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and nerves and anxiety made his hands sweaty as he picked up the black, velvet box on the bed he had hid behind his back from her. He wasn't sure what to do at the moment. He even had to have an extremely awkward conversation with Price after the meeting how to do this exactly. His advice hadn't worked since the two had already planned everything and all he had to do was ask. He knew it'd be harder with Melody. She had been so high strung lately and everything set her off. He shook off those negative thoughts and took a deep breath. He took the box in his hand and looked at her curious face and furrowing eyebrows as she lightly swung her legs absentmindedly against the mattress.

'Well, now's a good time as any.' He encouraged himself as he opened the lid on the box. "Okay, you can open now." He said nervously as he watched her face as her eyes slowly opened to see him standing before her with the box in hand.

Melody arched an eyebrow at first seeing him standing with a hesitant grin but then she trailed her eyes to his hands as she saw the box in his hands; and the old engagement ring with a fresh and shining diamond placed delicately in the middle. She gasped and absentmindedly brought her hands over her mouth as she looked up at MacTavish's smiling face. Her heart raced as a scene from her previous dream filled her mind but she shoved that away and focused on MacTavish as she noticed he made a sudden but slow motion.

She let out a suppressed chuckle as she saw him slowly get on one knee and smile at her bright red face. She couldn't believe this was happening; she just slightly wished it wasn't. At least, not at this time; right after her nightmare of a wedding. Once again, she shoved those thoughts away as she felt a happy tear trickle down her eye as MacTavish began to speak.

He took a deep breath before starting; Melody couldn't help but be glad he was as nervous and happy as she was. "Melody Marie Johnston; I love you with all my heart and I know I always will until the day I die. Now, will you finally do me the favor of marrying me and with a straight answer? So basically what I'm saying is this; I love you and I'm on one knee, will you marry me?" He said slowly and with a wide smile.

Happiness overwhelmed within Melody as she looked at the thin, sliver band and the bright, sparkling diamond in its center. Though her brain screamed no because of the dream, she decided to take her mother's advice from so long ago; listen to your heart. With that in her mind, she jumped from bed and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in an excited squeal of joy. She felt childish for doing so because she had sworn to herself long ago she'd never "squeal like a girl". She didn't care at that moment. All she could think about was MacTavish and what he just said.

"Yes, a million times yes!" She happily said against his neck.

MacTavish chuckled as he broke apart from their embrace and he took Melody's left hand in his. They both stood slowly up as Melody looked down at her finger as it glittered in the dim light of the lamp beside them. Melody squealed then laughed merrily as MacTavish picked her up by her waist and spun her around a couple times. She threw her head back and laughed as she leaned back down and pressed her lips softly against his. She placed a cold hand against his cheek as he sat her back on her own two feet softly. Their kiss wasn't a wild one like some may be, it was more passion then need. She honestly liked it better. Just pressing her lips against his without having to go absolutely mad. She stood on her toes as she placed her forehead against his and kissed his nose with a childish grin.

"A simple, 'Hey wanna get hitched?' would've sufficed." She said looking into his ice blue eyes.

MacTavish chuckled once. "You know that was a very close second. I love you, Mells." He said looking into her brown eyes with a tenderness that made her heart skip.

She felt a slow and deliberate smile pull at the corner of her lips. "I love you too, John. So very much." She said giving him another soft peck on the lips. "I have to say something, though." She then said hesitantly and sighed.

He pulled back, worry clear in his expression. He hated it when she said something like that. "Yes?" He encouraged her to go on and she played with the diamond on her finger nervously.

"Well, it's not something to worry about, maybe. But, I was thinking about what you said the other day; about having to tell my mother about my well-being. I don't know about my dad but I know I have to tell her. She has and deserves to know." She said glancing at the ground then resting on his eyes.

He sighed in relief; he was afraid she'd say something that'd make things difficult like usual. He loved her, but she definitely knew the wrong time to mention bad news. "Okay, so what are you going to do?" He asked keeping his arms wrapped around her waist as she looked into his eyes.

"That's the very easy part. About a month ago, I learned she had moved back in to New York except now she kinda lives in the country side. Who could blame her? But, I got the coordinates and now it's all a matter of gathering enough self-confidence and courage." She said holding a folded piece of paper she reached over and took from the night stand. It had an address and a small hand-drawn map.

MacTavish looked at it then up at her. "You want to do this? I mean, I want to know you're absolutely ready for this." He said looking straight into her eyes; he knew he'd find the honest emotion behind the chocolate bowls in her eyes.

She nodded twice and he knew she wasn't lying. He nodded once to himself. "When do you wanna go?" He asked with a sigh as he laid back on the mattress from her in relief.

She just arched a sympathetic eyebrow as she realized how worn-out he was from the day. She almost didn't want to tell him the news. "I was wanting to go now. Please." She added crawling up towards him and hovering her body over his with a small pout on her lips.

He just sighed and grabbed her waist and threw her on her back so he could look her straight in the eyes as he loomed over her. "Please tell me you're not using the 'puppy-dog' pout on me right now?" He said with a tired grin.

She gave him an awkward grin and he sighed and rolled off the side. She then felt guilty as she saw him rub his eyes so he'd stay awake. He looked so tired…. "Well, we don't have to go right now if you're so tired. Maybe in the morning, besides she's probably asleep right now." She immediately rushed out walking towards him.

He just let out a huff of breath and turned to place a finger on her lips, causing the top lip to curl upwards slightly and she slightly furrowed her eyebrows. "Too much?" She asked already knowing the answer.

He closed his eyes and nodded yes. She mumbled an apology and went to change into something else instead of the cotton shorts and tank top. Once she had, they began to walk out the door to leave. It took about a minute of arguing to even figure out who was going to drive. Melody insisted that she drove since he looked like he was going to fall over asleep at any second and she claimed she was wide awake even though she could feel wearisome softly creep on her like a mist in the cool air. They, well MacTavish forced her into the decision, finally decided that he drive to wake him up and she'd sit in the passenger seat, of course.

As MacTavish drove, Melody could feel anxiety and worry rise in her. The same emotions that had held her hostage the first time she saw her mother so long ago, when she was going to find her sister. She found it nice and quite humorous that she was with MacTavish on the journey again; but this time he was her fiancée (again) instead of her friend. The whole drive she began to regret ever telling MacTavish this. She was ready; it was just the instincts she gained with her father told her to run away and never turn back. She was afraid of getting things to normal. Crazy and unpredictable was the atmosphere she grew up in. What would things be like for her and MacTavish when they were married; getting to normal? She shivered at the thought as the dream pranced about in her mind again and she refused to have such negative thoughts barricading her thoughts at the moment. When the time came that they arrived at the house, tension bolted her to the seat. She sunk her long nails into the leather seats with unknown fear as she looked at the house. MacTavish had already gotten out and was coming to force her out the car. After putting up a fight with him, she listened to what he said next that made her finally step out of the car door.

"Melody, it's now or never. Get to know your mom again and get close or get married and continue to let her think you're dead. Your choice." He said leaning against the rolled down window and staring into her eyes though it was hard to see her face clearly because he had turned the headlights off so he wouldn't be blinding anyone and it was late at night.

Melody furrowed her eyebrows and considered the suggestion. Though she knew the easy way would be to turn around and go back to the building. She wanted to be close with her Mom and have that mother/daughter relationship you read and see about. There was only one way to get that relationship and it started with taking MacTavish's outstretched hand. She felt every emotion hit her like a brick as she grew closer towards the door and she wanted to turn back. MacTavish could tell also so he wrapped an arm in both encouragement and also to continue pushing her forward. As they were feet from the door, Melody halted in her tracks and MacTavish looked back at her with an arched eyebrow.

"I can't do it, John. I was wrong. Can we go? You can sleep on the way back, I'll drive." She begged trying to persuade him into turning around and giving up.

"No, Melody. You made me drag my ass up here and we are going to do this, you understand?" He said looking into her eyes with a stern expression.

"But, John! I can't do it. I'm not strong enough to be normal." She said looking down at her feet to avoid his gaze.

He just sighed and quickly reached over and knocked on the door. Melody widened her eyes at him and pulled him away from the door hoping to make an escape, but MacTavish forced her to stop and turned her towards him.

"Melody, I thought you'd learn by now that you can't let things that matter out of your way just because it seems a little hard. Yes, I understand it's difficult but it isn't impossible. You've done this before and I know you can do it again." He whispered rather harshly, anything to get the message through.

Before she could say anything back, she heard the door swing open with force and she saw her mother's form stand before her. She was just as she saw her last. Petite, maybe 5' 4', short chestnut brown hair and light green eyes. Green eyes that displayed a strong emotion of shock and disbelief. She didn't know what to say but continued to stare as she felt tears well in her eyes at the sight of her mother. All she wanted to do at that moment was wrap her arms around her and fall under her control like a child. She wanted her mother so bad, but she was afraid she'd scare her by any sudden emotions. Then, a tension spread around the three as she heard her mother speak but only saw a blurred face.

"Melody?" She asked in a wavering voice.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry guys, I know this chapter is complete crap but I think I was kinda half-awake when I wrote this last night:P I would've posted also, but I think Fanfiction decided to be mean and wouldn't let me do anything but read. Did that happen with anyone else? If so, please say because I think I've gone crazy lol just kidding. But anyway, it has (apparently) let me login so now I can update what I finished yesterday. Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Chapter Question: So how do you think things are going to change? Do you think Melody and MacTavish will actually marry and if they do will it be good or bad? And also, I've noticed I've used the 'What if' card many times with Melody; so that brings me to ask. From your imagination, what do you think would've happened if Melody rejected Captain Price's offer to join them. What do you think would turn out if Melanie had protected her more than she had? I would love to see what you guys can come up with and until then. Have a nice night/morning/or day! Love you all :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Too much for one night

"Hey Mom." She said with a forced grin.

Melanie couldn't say anything. She refused to believe it, but she knew that was her. But, how? Even the man beside her, Captain MacTavish, and the others said she had died right before their eyes. They couldn't be lying. Who would lie about something as serious as that? Unless they were sick and loved to pick at the emotions of family members who would be heartbroken at the news. Just because she was different or hadn't much family didn't mean she was animal. She couldn't believe she had gotten such defensive thoughts that quickly.

"Melody? It can't really be you can it?" She immediately asked stepping forward hesitantly. She wanted to touch her but it felt like a dream.

A tear streamed down Melody's cheek as she immediately threw her arms around her neck and began to cry happily. Melanie's eyes were wide as saucers as she felt her daughter's trembling body against hers. She could feel her arms wrapped tight around her throat in a way that screamed never leave me or let me go. At that feeling, she slowly placed her arms around her back and hugged her tightly in return.

"It's me, mom. I swear to God it's really me. I love you so much! Please don't leave me again." Melody begged through uncontrollable sobs. Melanie's heart broke as she heard her daughter's pleas and she stroked her hair lovingly and placed her cheek against her soft brown locks.

"I'm not leaving you, Melody. I will never let you go again, do you hear me? I love you so much, Marie." She said happily against her hair as she felt Melody's shoulder jolt past sobs. She then looked up to MacTavish who was grinning happily at Melody and her mother. Melanie's eyes watered and she gave him a look of gratitude; as if to thank him for bringing her daughter back to her.

It seemed the longest time that Melody clung to her mother and cried. When they had finally stopped hugging, Melanie broke the embrace slightly and pulled back to look at Melody's face. She placed her cold hands on her warm cheeks and looked into her eyes.

"Now, I think you have a lot of explaining to do, Melody. But we have to stay out here, just for a minute okay?" She said reassuringly.

Though Melody was immediately curious why she didn't want them to go inside, she didn't care. She could say that she wanted to go to Jupiter to talk and it wouldn't matter to her. She was just glad to be with her mother again. She hoped this time it was permanent. "Mom, I am so glad that I can finally talk with you. But first, I have to say that yes I was dead. I was probably legally dead for weeks. But, when I did die, after my team left, a man very close to a man named Vladimir Makarov found my body in the ruins of a building. He had taken my body and fixed me even though he had orders not to. It took almost a month, but I was alive again. Everyone thought I was dead and the man that fixed me, Anatoly Gavlik, took advantage of that fact." She began looking into her mother's eyes.

"Wait, Anatoly Gavlik? That monster helped you? I hardly believe it." She said furrowing her eyebrows.

"I know right, but actually he wasn't that bad. He had rules that he stuck to like glue, but when it was business, he wasn't the worst man to be around. Not on my top ten, but still. He told me once, after her gave me the news of my miscarriage with my first child. I'll explain that in a minute." She paused holding a finger towards her mother as she saw her mouth gape open in immediate question then continued. "He saw that I was trying not to cry in front of him, mainly because I didn't want him to think I was spineless or too emotional to trust me; he put a hand on my back and told me a little story. He said that before, before joining Makarov on his revenge struck missions, that he was a normal man. He had a wife and two children; a little girl and a baby boy. They had lost their son to a horrible heart disease when he was about two. He told me his wife's heart had hardened after that. He never got to really touch or anything because she was scared to get close to anyone again. He said that he was finally able to talk to her once without her walking away or ignoring him and he told her something. He told me the same thing about my baby also; yes, it's a tragedy to lose family, a child, at such a young age, but we should be slightly happy. The child is no longer hurting and is somewhere where they could daily pick flowers and prance around." She stopped with an absentminded grin as she imagined the little girl from her imagination. The one she imagined spinning and dancing in the front yard when she was waiting for MacTavish's surgery. She imagined the giggling, smiling girl running happily through rows of tall flowers, taller than she was. Skipping and laughing merrily as she breathed in cool, sweet air tainted with the fragrance of roses and lilies and wildflowers and all sorts of different flowers.

MacTavish could see that she had gone silent and he stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder as to comfort her and also to snap her back into reality. Melody blinked once and turned to look back at him slowly. She grinned reassuring him that she was fine then turned back to her mother. "Mom, believe it or not; I was pregnant. It sounds weird out loud, but it's true. But I lost her when I died. I fell through many wooden planks while falling out of a church tower in Prague. I knew I was pregnant and now it's all my fault she's gone." She hesitantly knowing MacTavish was also listening to her.

"Oh, Melody I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say that would help, but know I'm here now. Okay, sweetheart?" She said with tender eyes as she placed a hand on her cheek with a loving twinkle in her eyes. Then another emotion struck across her face as if she had remembered something. "I have to get something real quick. You stay right here and I'll be right here." She said rushing off before Melody could ask anything.

"You knew before going into the tower?" She then heard MacTavish's slightly irritated voice behind her, making her shiver at the coldness of it.

She turned to see his furrowed eyebrows as he stepped towards her. "John, I'm so sorry." She mumbled quietly looking into his icy eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a rather loud sound coming inside. As if something had been dropped from numb hands.

Melody glanced at him and the two shared a look before immediately sprinting into the house. MacTavish stood in front of Melody as they saw a man standing before Melanie. Melody gasped as the man turned and she saw two clear blue pools stare at her with a bewildered expression. She couldn't believe that he was here.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" She immediately asked.

Benjamin's heart skipped a beat as he looked into the face of his recently-known deceased daughter. Maybe he was dreaming; conscience screaming at him and reminding him again how he should've been better to her. But as he closed and reopened them twice he continued to find her standing before him with a look of disbelief across her face. His thoughts were interrupted and he looked at the man beside her. He had slightly pulled Melody back towards him and placed a protective arm around her waist. Benjamin couldn't help but smile with relief. At least she had someone who was willing to look after her and treat her right.

"Mom, what's going on?" They then heard Krista's voice coming from the hallway.

Melody gasped seeing her little sister stand before her. Krista gasped loudly also as she stared at her sister tucked close to MacTavish's side protectively. Melody's heart raced and her head pounded against her skull. She was confused and overwhelmed. What was going on? It was too much. She fought back the voices in her head at the flood of emotions and she tried to keep it locked tight within her head, but that made her feel different. Dizzy; almost. She couldn't understand why all of a sudden she felt tired and weightless. Before she knew it, her eyes rolled back and she closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered feeling was her cheeks smashing against the rough contours of the carpet beneath her and MacTavish's arms before she fell completely asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry this is so short! I planned for it to be longer, but I don't know. But yeah, sorry that it sucks :P **

**xGenre: I'm sorry I don't quite understand what you're saying. I looked for what you were talking about but didn't find anything unless I counted wrong or read the long line. Sorry, it there was an error in it and I couldn't fix it.**

**Queenkhs: Good! I'm not crazy! Lol, but thanks for the feedback and you'll just have to see how the wedding goes out; along with everyone:)**

**But, thanks everyone for reading though this story hasn't turned out so well as I had hoped :P Have a nice day and love you all!(:**


	8. Chapter 8: These are my confessions

"Melody? Oh my God, Melody!" MacTavish immediately said kneeling down beside her and taking her chin in his hand and trying to look at her face. He had already seen her lifeless in his arms and he didn't want to see her again. He knew she wasn't dead, but ever since that moment in Prague he didn't like to see her asleep or when she didn't answer him. He just wanted to know she was alright from now on. He promised ever since that night he kissed her again, when she was still Kallen, that he'd do anything to keep her alive again. He didn't like to see her hurt and crumbling on the floor.

Melanie immediately crossed over to the two with a terrified look on her face. She kneeled down on the opposite side of MacTavish and gripped her hand tight in hers. The hand she had happened to hold was her left so when she felt something smooth on her finger she was confused. Though she knew her daughter's well-being was more important than what's on her hand, she still lifted it closer towards her to get a better look. She gasped softly as she saw the clear, shining diamond ring on her finger. MacTavish glanced up towards her at her gasp and settled his gaze on the older woman as she glanced at Melody and over towards MacTavish. He just looked at her until they both heard someone else come towards them. It was Benjamin.

He stepped towards her with an arm outstretched. MacTavish felt annoyance and hate well up inside him looking at the man that had caused so much pain on Melody and he glared up at him. As the older man came to touch her forehead, MacTavish blocked him by turning his torso so his chest was the blockade between the two.

"Don't you touch her." He said in a deep, stern voice.

Benjamin looked at him with shock clearly drawn on his face as he stared down at the younger man before him. At that moment he knew his daughter had told him of what he had done and he immediately felt awful. But he was also glad that someone was there for her. He looked down into the man's blue eyes with his own.

"I don't know who you are, but I promise I'm not going to hurt her anymore. Now, if you please move so I can help my daughter. She's done this before when she was younger. She must've tried to block the voices away in her head. Her doctor told her to never do that. It makes her faint; it's better if she lets them play out since they're not major attacks." He said brushing away MacTavish's chest as he leaned down to grab Melody's waist.

MacTavish wasn't sure if he was lying or not, but he knew he had to let him help her. He didn't know how to handle her, neither he or Melanie did. He watched hesitantly and nervously as Benjamin picked her up and carried her towards the couch to lay her down. Ben then turned towards MacTavish.

"Go to the kitchen and get a damp rag. She just needs to relax for a while until she wakes up. The rag just helps her cool down." He said glancing towards the kitchen.

Krista turned to MacTavish and grabbed his wrist. "I'll show you where the rags are. C'mon." She said urgently. She hadn't known her sister much but she knew this was too important to blow off because she didn't know her. That wouldn't be fair or nice at all.

Once MacTavish dampened a rag and sat beside her, he began to gently press the rag against her forehead and neck. He sighed as he saw her chest move up and down peacefully and her eyelids fluttered. He knew she was asleep and dreaming. He just prayed she wouldn't have a dream like her last one that made her so high strung.

While MacTavish cared for Melody while fighting back heavy eyelids, Melanie stepped outside for a moment as she let in the last minutes absorb into her mind. Ben had also stepped out and followed her. He needed to talk to her. She was his wife after all; whether she loved him again or not he knew he'd always love her. He shivered slightly in the brisk cold air and walked to Melanie's side.

"You alright?" He asked looking over at her face.

Melanie gasped softly and looked behind her to see him. "Yeah, what are you doing out here? That boy could use some help with Melody. You saw how he had no clue what to do." She said trying to avoid his gaze and wrapped her arms around her shoulders against the cold wind.

Ben looked at her as she shivered and he sighed softly and removed the jacket from his shoulders and softly wrapped it around her shoulders. "He seems capable of running a rag over her forehead. What are you doing out here?" He asked looking down at her face.

She looked at him shocked as he placed the jacket on her shoulders then looked back down at her feet as he crossed his arms across his chest waiting for her answer. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Maybe clear my head; let everything absorb. I thought she was dead. They even said so on the news…" She said, mind traveling towards another topic.

He let out a breath remembering the day he got the news from both her captains and watched the news that night. He felt so broken and he could actually feel his face grow pale and his arms and hands shook violently. "Yes, but you should remember where she gets her genes from. Not just you or I, but your side of the family. Didn't your mother tell you your father was dead but was proved wrong when she and that family friend found him in some prison? I think she shares more than just his eyes, Melanie." He said looking at her furrowing eyebrows and her green eyes.

Melanie didn't say anything but just turned towards Ben with at first something between a glare and a look of amazement. Ben was the only surprised person as he saw Melanie lunge towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His eyes were wide as he was able to take in a glance of her face before she crashed her lips down against his.

As both he and Melanie stood in the cold night kissing each other, Ben imagined them when they were kids. Just young and had so many plans. Before his sister died and he wanted to make sure he had sons so he could train him to be strong and brave so he would never have to feel the pain of losing a woman like his sister again.

Melanie broke apart with crimson cheeks and a rapid heart. Benjamin slowly reopened his closed eyes and looked down at the woman. She was slightly smiling a slow and deliberate smile as she stared into his blue eyes.

"I guess you forgive me?" He asked with a returning grin as he slowly reached for her hand.

Melanie chuckled with relief and took his hand in hers and just stood outside with him for a little while longer. She was glad that now she had her daughter back and now she realized Ben was himself again. She knew it by the way he held Melody and the look he had when he saw her. She also realized it when he came outside only because she was out there and the way he gave her his jacket. She knew he was trying to be a gentleman but she could really see past that and see the gawky and nervous teenager she fell in love with in the first place.

Inside, Krista sat on the opposite side of MacTavish as he continuously dabbed the damp rag across portions of her skin. MacTavish and Krista fought back heavy eyelids and ignored the pain in their legs as they sat in an uncomfortable position towards Melody. After a while, Krista took the rag, now dry, from MacTavish and started to walk into the kitchen to dampen it again.

"So, how long have you known Melody?" Krista asked hesitantly as she stared down at the rag under the water with a wary look.

MacTavish hadn't expected her to talk anytime soon so he had to admit he was partially shocked to hear her voice talking to him. "Well, um, I've known her for a while now. About, three or four years." He answered as he glanced at Melody's face, checking she wasn't having some nightmare. When he found her face was clam and peaceful as he last saw it, he turned back towards the kitchen as Krista was walking back towards him trying not to let the rag drip onto the carpet underneath her bare feet.

"Guess you've known her longer than I have. Kinda pathetic, donchta think?" She said joking lightly with a forced grin.

He felt the corner of his mouth lift in soft amusement. "Not really, your father took her away when you were just a baby and your mother thought she was dead all these years and didn't want to bring it up. It's not like you chose to not be close to her." He said yawning slightly and hoping that made some ounce of sense.

Krista nodded once in agreement then gave the rag to him. As she rested her chin on her fist she looked up at his tired face. In that minute she realized something. She saw the dedication in his weary face as he forced himself to stay awake though Melody slept soundly beneath him as he continued to make sure she was cool enough. She also spotted the glittering ring on her left hand. She then knew that this man loved her and was probably going to be her new brother-in-law.

"When'd you first meet, Melody?" She asked trying to start a conversation with him and also know more about her sister.

MacTavish's hand slightly halted on her forehead for a moment at her question. He looked down at Melody's face for a moment then looked over at Krista, continuing his motion with the rag.

"Well, it was about three years ago. My teammate, Eric Foley, was getting married and he invited both family and his new teammates, including me. Well, turns out my mentor, Captain Price, had invited one more recruit. At first, I was upset with the idea of having a wedding when we could've been using the time to find Makarov. I even told him so, but I have to say I think I'm not the only one who felt the same way. Melody was late for the actual wedding but made it to the reception on time. Though I've never asked her, I think she didn't want to see a couple so in love get married. And that's a long story that will be explained later, maybe. She met with Price then walked off to find her friend Becca. I learned her name and later on I introduced myself. Well, not really. She came to tell me something Price had said and I told her my name. Since that moment I knew that this hunt was going to be different." He paused for a moment to sigh and placed his arm on his knee when he figured Melody was cool enough and if he continued she'd probably get cold. "And different it was." He said mostly to himself with a grin.

Though she wanted to ask more, Krista just forced a grin as he walked away from her towards the kitchen. She took that time to edge closer towards Melody on the couch and hesitantly placed a hand atop Melody's right.

'I hope I can be a real sister to you, Melody'. She thought looking down at her face.

She sighed as she heard Jazmine's voice yelling for her. MacTavish chuckled lightly at the small voice and walked back to the couch. He sat on the loveseat where he eventually fell asleep, unknown to him.

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><p><strong>AN: So, how was that? Kinda bad, I know. Been kinda nervous because I'm supposed to get my eyes checked soon. I don't want glasses! Lol, but enough about me. Sorry if this seemed rushed and what did you think about the small BenxMelanie moment? I wanted to delve into their relationship more than I had. And also, did the Krista/MacTavish moment seem cheesy or good enough? I sometimes get tired of writing about Melody so much :P Lol.**

**Too Lazy To Log In: Yes, but I can't say how or why because I don't want to spoil it to those who actually read it.**

**xGenre: Thanks for letting me know and if I remember, I'll change that real quick. And thanks, good luck to you (if you have any stories or in whatever you would need luck too) :D**

**But, thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day everybody. I wuv wu! *mwuah* Lol, see ya later.**


	9. Chapter 9: These are my confessions Pt2

Melody furrowed her eyebrows for a moment as an aroma filled her nostrils. Her back hurt and her head throbbed slightly, but she felt so comfortable. Emotionally comfortable, though physically she could think of more softer and comfortable things. She could feel she was still wearing the same thing by the slight tightening of her legs from the stiff fabric of her favorite blue jeans and the awkward tug around her waist and chest from turning on the couch underneath her. As she wiggled her toes she could feel she was still wearing her old purple converse. She grinned as the sudden memory of the shoes filled her mind. She bought them years ago with Becca when she was fourteen. The shoes had gone through much running and chasing in their many years. The same shoes she had escaped from the academy in; well an attempt at running far from the academy. Ben had found her hours later and drug her back to the horrible place.

She then took a deep breath before opening her eyes to the warm sunlight shining on her side. She looked over out the window and squinted as she saw the dark black truck and the gray Volvo outside. Her dad and MacTavish were still here. She then wished she could fall back asleep but knew it was time to wake up. She sat up and placed a hand on her lower back, putting pressure on the sore joints. She jumped with a flash of fear as she heard someone sore beside her.

She looked over to see MacTavish with one hand hanging off the side of the arm and his head lolling back. She let out an uncontrollable chuckle at the sight which had brought attention to herself from whoever was in the kitchen.

Melanie looked over to see Melody sitting upright on the couch smiling at MacTavish. She had found the position humorous also and walked into the living room after turning the burner down slightly.

"Men always find the strangest positions to sleep in. During first year when I married Ben, he used to sleep like he was smothering himself. Always had the pillow on his face. He used to try and scare me by just stop breathing for a moment." Melanie said with her arms crossed, chuckling both at MacTavish and the memory.

Melody spun around to see her walking towards her. She smiled while tucking a strand from her face. "I think he had done that once. He's just a weird guy." She joked lightly touching his hand softly so she wouldn't wake him. She thought he deserved to sleep longer after all that happened last night.

"I saw the ring. Are you going to marry him?" Melanie asked unable to keep the question under bay.

Melody continued to look at MacTavish but her smile faded and she licked her lips nervously. A display of colors flashed across the wall as the sunlight touched the diamond on her hand, only making the fact as noticeable. She took a breath before turning towards Melanie.

"I want to, but…" She said unable to answer. Which brought her to the question herself. Was she going to marry him or not? After losing her friends and Ronan, Charlie, and her baby Gracie, she wasn't sure if she could trust herself. As if she was some curse that if you got close it would mean death.

"Melody, look. I don't know much about what you've been through and I hope I can help you in the hopeful, near future, but what happened in the past is gone and no one can undo or redo. 'Kay?" She said with an encouraging grin as she patted her forearm.

Melody nodded in agreement though she barely meant it.

Melanie looked at her for a moment until she then smelled something coming from the kitchen and snapped her into reality. "Crap!" She muttered jumping up from the couch and shuffling quickly across the carpet to the kitchen.

Melody chuckled lightly as she heard MacTavish move beside her. He rubbed his eyes then popped the sore muscles in his back and neck. She looked over and grinned at him as they both heard two pairs of small feet dashing excitedly across the white carpeted floor beneath them. They both looked over to see the two, small blonde girls giggling and running in their pajamas. The smallest one, Jazmine, wore a long, frilly pink night gown and her straight honey hair was stringy and puffed in some places. The oldest one, Viktoria, had her matching purple pajama bottoms and top that read in silver glittering letters 'Silly when Sleepy'. Melody grinned at them as Viktoria ran and plopped down beside Melody happily and Jazmine stared shyly at MacTavish from the doorframe separating the kitchen and living room.

"Momma said you're our new aunt! Are you gonna braid my hair and tell me about when you and Momma were younger like the aunts in those movies do?" She questioned, blue eyes twinkling in hope and excitement at her newest family member.

Melody smiled and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "I can't really promise you the whole back story thing, but maybe some time we can take a swing at the braiding gig. Sound nice?" Melody asked with a persuasive smile and tapped the end of her nose.

Viktoria smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Viky, you better come and eat. You have to get ready for school soon." Krista said then walking out of the hallway, brushing her hair as she wore a pencil black skirt and white blouse with ruffles at the breast. She worked at a hotel as the receptionist.

"Aw, Momma! Why do I have to go to school?" Viktoria moaned as she looked at her mother with big, pleading eyes as she forced herself off the couch and towards the kitchen.

"Because I said so, that's why. Oh, Jazzy! What are you doing?" Krista said placing in her earrings then rushing towards the table with amusingly irritated furrowed eyebrows.

A small voice answered her with childlike pride thick in the tone. "Eating Teerios with my nose." Jazmine giggled proudly at her discovery.

Melody chuckled at her answer when Ben then walked into the room from outside. He had been previously working outside on something with Jeremy to get things off his mind and concentrate on something else.

He looked over at her and Melody stood up and walked towards him. She looked at his face for a moment before speaking. "I know you've changed, Dad. I can see that, even if it might sound bizarre. I can see it in you and the way you were with me when I was passed out and with Mom early this morning. Oh yeah, I eavesdropped on you guys, by the way." She paused with a joking smile.

He just scoffed at her comment though he was slightly embarrassed. "Melody, I am so sorry for everything I put you through. I don't expect you to forgive me so easily and I wouldn't blame you, but I want you to know that I'm trying to change. Be the father I should've been when you were born." He said looking down into her brown eyes.

Melody slowly grinned and suddenly threw her arms around his neck. She wasn't sure if he could forgive him for everything at the moment, but she knew she was tired of fighting with him. She just wanted things to be normal for them all. "You're right; I won't forgive you everything that happened. But, I know it's time to forget about the past and think about the present. I'm ready for at least that." She said into his neck.

MacTavish looked at the two, tension rolling off his back as he saw Melody hug him in a warm embrace. He was glad to see things get right, but he had to admit he felt like he didn't belong at the home. Like it was a place just for them and he was intruding on their moment.

Melody pulled back and smiled at him.

The day played out normally as any civvie day would be. Krista took Viktoria to school, which she wasn't happy about at all, and Jeremy took Ben and MacTavish down to the mill where he worked at just to pass the time. Melody spent time watching Jazmine with Melanie at the house.

As MacTavish stood with Jeremy dragging out large logs of wood to be cut and sawn, he began to think about Melody and how she automatically acted with Viktoria that morning. He thought she'd be at least a little upset being with children after Charlie and the baby. That got him to thinking about what Melody had said to Melanie that night about being pregnant but losing her.

He looked over at Jeremy and hesitantly asked him something. "Jeremy, right? This may be awkward since we don't really know each other, but… uh, if Krista ever told you something about your kids and kept it a secret from you though it was very important; what would you do?" He asked staring at the wood in his arms then glanced over at him.

Jeremy dropped the wood on the pile and laid his elbows on them, leaning inward as he cocked his head to face the man beside him. "That depends on how important it was. But, either way, I'd be pretty pissed and would want to know why she kept it from me." He paused placing his safety glasses on. "You and, uh, Melody having trouble or something, bro?" He asked arching a light brown eyebrow at him.

MacTavish was hesitant answering him, but he ignored Jeremy's gaze and looked down towards his feet as he kicked wood debris absentmindedly away. "Melody was pregnant at some point and she knew but she endangered the baby's life by going in a church tower on an assassination mission. Makarov had planted bombs in the tower so when she tried to save a comrade of ours, Yuri, and fell some feet through wooden panels. The baby didn't make it through the first wooden panel. She knew but she still went through on it and didn't even bother to tell me." He said slowly recognizing the truth behind his own explanation.

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows in concern at the man beside him. "Rough, man. I'd hate to even think about that with Krista and the kids. But, I think you should try and talk to her about it. Try to settle something." He suggested placing the glasses back to the crown of his head.

MacTavish nodded to himself before helping Jeremy and Benjamin in the mill.

That night, Melody held Jazmine in her lap as she picked up different toys. "How 'bout this one? No, no, no, we gotta go with this. The bigger and pinker the better." She said handling a large, pink ballerina teddy bear and pretended that it was tickling her stomach with its mouth.

The same time MacTavish and the others walked in and he watched Melody bond with her youngest niece while Viktoria watched happily at the floor coloring in a coloring book. Melody made numerous faces and strange noises came from her as she continued to tickle Jazmine's stomach and arms, causing a loud, melodic giggle come from Jazmine.

MacTavish's smile faded as he knew he had to talk with her and now. He took a deep breath and looked at Melody's smiling face.

"Melody, we need to talk." MacTavish said beside her as she smiled closer to Jazmine's face.

Seeing the look on his face, she knew it wasn't a simple evening conversation. She forced herself to hand Jazmine over to Jeremy, kissing her head then excused herself as she followed MacTavish outside to the front yard. She closed the door behind her and pressed her back against the doorknob as MacTavish stood a few feet in front of her.

"So." He said simply.

Melody swallowed back the fear she gained at the aggravated tone in his voice. "So?" She repeated warily.

"So, when were you planning on telling me about the baby?" He demanded turning around to face her with a slight glare.

She let out a huffed breath and placed her face in her hands. She didn't want to talk about this, at least not here.

When she said nothing and continued to rub her temples, he stepped towards her. "Melody, tell me!" He demanded again looking down into her chocolate brown eyes, impatience strong in both his tone and voice. He was tired of being lied to and he wanted the truth from her.

Melody groaned and looked away from him then back, trying to hold back burning tears. "I was pregnant, okay? I was pregnant with our baby and I knew it! But I had no idea what was going to happen in that church tower!" She said in a loud, angered whisper.

"You knew going up there was endangering the life of our baby, but you still chose to go! And voluntarily! Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped you, Melody! I love you and I would do anything for you, but you're making it so hard to be there when you're so damn stubborn!" He said loudly. Neither of them used their inside voices now.

"It was an accident!" She then screamed at him.

"An accident? Why do you always try to make yourself into some innocent victim! "He yelled at her, causing her to jump back towards the door.

"It was an accident, okay? I wanted our baby, but I was scared and confused! It was a fucking accident!" She screamed at him as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"An accident? No, this isn't some little accident where a simple, fucking apology will clear the wrong you've done." He yelled. Tears gripped at his eyelids and pain and anger boiled inside of him. "This was not an accident, do you hear me? This was innocent life that we created together and you didn't even care about my say in all of this! _This_ was not some accident." He repeated continuing his loud, angered lecture as he stared into her tear-filled, reddening eyes.

"You're going this far now?" She asked with disbelief.

MacTavish chuckled a low and furious laugh at her words. "Yeah… Although, it probably makes you feel guilty or upset so you want it to stop, huh." He said sarcastically, holding back tears.

Melody stared at him for a moment trying to gather everything he had just said to her. "Yes, yes, yes, 'kay? It was a horrible situation, but it's over! I hate admitting but, it is. I wanted Gracie, our baby. I even named her while sitting in that tower!" She then said loudly, begging him, taking a step towards him.

The last sentence set him off more than any of the words spoken to each other in the small matter of time. Pain and pity were tossed aside and all he could feel was anger as it boiled and rose to the surface. Causing him to turn and lash out on her as he screamed one final time.

"You named her, wanted her, but you still chose to let her die!" He screamed angrily at her, a tear rolling down his cheek.

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><p><strong>AN: **Yes, the last version was from Grey's Anatomy. I'm sorry for doing that; I just loved the acting in it and the words. And anon is right. I know you guys may think that I just redid it because I was caught, partially true, but I've been feeling bad about doing that ever since I posted it. I'm sorry once again for doing that, besides. I never really liked how it turned out anyway... Weak humor just doesn't cut it in this category huh?

I AM SO VERY SORRY

Now, I'll shut up.


	10. Chapter 10: Good News & Bad News

Melody stood there in disbelief at what he said. She killed their baby? As she stood there, she thought he was right. She knew that she was pregnant; she knew the results, both good and bad about going in the tower, yet she still went because she wanted to. Was she really that shallow? Tears poured down her cheeks from her red eyes as she looked up at MacTavish. She could still see that tears still threatened on his eyelashes and she just wanted away from him. She turned from the door until she felt his hand on her shoulder forcing her towards him. She then grew angry and pushed him away like she would've done when she first knew him years ago. When anyone would touch her. She felt the pain and anger that made her bitter for years.

"No, don't you fucking touch me!" She growled at him under her breath.

He was taken aback by her ferocity in her voice and he drew his hand back to his side. He hated seeing her this way and he knew he had hurt her beyond words could imagine. He sighed as she stormed inside the house.

Benjamin stood there sharing a shocked and wary face with Krista and Melanie. Melody immediately felt embarrassed because she knew they had heard their fight. That was the last thing she wanted right now. As Melanie stood up to take a step towards her, Melody just ran off into another room. She slightly hoped it wasn't some strange room. When she slipped in the room and locked the door behind her, she stepped over towards the wall and slid down with her back pressed against it. In the small time she took to really look at the room she was in, she could tell she was Melanie's room. That was, unless Krista really loved to look at herself and kept pictures of her and the kids hanging around everywhere. She guessed not and took a moment as she wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her knees close to her chest and laid her head down; crying immediately.

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><p>MacTavish stood outside for a moment; scolding himself for what he had said to her. He felt like an ass for hurting her like that. He didn't know why he had even thought to say it. He was just so upset and hurt that she would keep something this important away from him for three years. The absence, yes he could see that, but he was right in front of her before she went up there! He thought she had a strange expression on her face; as if her mind was on other matters. He wished he could've known sooner that she was. He wondered how things would've changed though. Everything would be completely different. Melody of course would've been on leave because she was pregnant and all the work she had done would probably be pushing miscarriage. He shivered; he didn't want to think about that. The fact that he knew that their child died and he hadn't known was terrible; but knowing she was pregnant and watching the blood come from…. He shivered again in complete disgust and pain. He knew it was time to go back inside when he heard a distant slamming and he knew she had found a room to escape in. He knew her; she wasn't the type to run to Mom or some other female in the room and cry and complain about what some man said about her. She would rather be left alone and given time to think and calm down. Besides, he knew she wouldn't want to explain everything to her mother or sister and watch their wary eyes look at her with a pitiful look.<p>

He slowly walked into the awkward home with clenched, determined to not punch anything from the anger at himself. He looked up to see Krista glancing back at the room and Melanie standing next to the hallway, hugging her shoulders. He felt his heart crumble in his ribs when he and everyone in the room, could hear Melody's sobs in the tense, silent room.

Krista then stood up in defense for her sister. "What the hell did you say to her? What is going on?" She demanded stepping towards him.

Benjamin looked between them as he held a completely asleep Viktoria near his chest and Jazmine resting her head on his lap, now just falling asleep.

"I know you're going to yell at me and I deserve it, but I need to talk to Melody. Though I now she'll just probably beat the shit outta me the second she sees me." He said to them with his arms raised in surrender; muttering the last part to himself.

"Damn straight, now before you go in there you tell me what happened. I'm tired of being the clueless, innocent little sister sitting by. You better spill and now." Krista said walking close to him, pointing a finger at him with a cold glare on her face.

Benjamin raised his eyebrows in shock at his daughter, clearly trying to hold back his slightly amused grin. Once again, his stubborn and pushy attitude got across his daughters.

"Krista-Ann!" Melanie said turning on her heel, steering her attention away from the picture hanging on the wall, and sternly furrowing her eyebrows at her youngest daughter.

"I'm sorry; Mom but they've been keeping major secrets away from us. Aren't you tired of being lied to? Wait, I'm the only one being lied to for, an entire lifetime." Krista said with an angry chuckle as she looked towards her mother.

Melanie looked shocked at her daughter as Krista faced MacTavish again. "Start singing, lover boy." She glared.

MacTavish's eyes were wide as he took in Krista's angered wrath and his hands rose to a slightly higher position. He opened his mouth to speak as they both heard Melody's voice from behind him.

"It was three years ago, MacTavish here and I met at a wedding for a team mate. We talked and became friends later on through our training for finding Makarov. He was really kind to me when I didn't deserve. Little after that, I realized I loved him and he me. We decided to continue our relationship even though we both knew it could end in horrible consequences at the end of our journey." She paused as the corners of her mouth lifted in a memory she was preparing to tell. "After he faced an almost death mission, he came back and gave me this ring. We both agreed and planned that if we didn't die we'd get married. Or at least start a life together. It was… the same night I got pregnant." She blushed as she glanced towards an equally red Benjamin on the couch; who was lightly covering the visible ears of Viktoria and Jazmine awkwardly.

"Well, after a while I had the symptoms, but I ignored them. I wish I hadn't. After a while, MacTavish, myself, and our team were sent off to Prague on an attempt at assassinating Vladimir Makarov. Our commander, Captain Price, instructed that I and my team mate and friend, Yuri, take position in the church tower when we were all safe inside. At that time, I knew I was pregnant. I knew, but I still chose to go up in that tower knowing the worse could happen to Yuri and the baby." She said sorrowfully placing a hand towards her stomach, but felt a tug at her heart when she had reminded herself there wasn't a child inside this time as she got caught in the memory.

"And you, of course." MacTavish muttered in looking off crossing his arms over his chest.

Melody looked over at him with an expression that said she was annoyed and slightly amused then continued her story. "Makarov was one step ahead of us the whole time and planted bombs in the tower and strapped bombs around a Russian comrade of ours. Kamarov, the man strapped with bombs, died, sadly and then he set off the bombs in the church tower. I was able to hear the beeping beside me and I managed to push Yuri out of the way before I got caught in the blast as we fell from the top of the tower." Melody paused biting her lip against sobs that struck her as she recalled the memory once again, but verbally. "I fell through wood planks on the way down and… the first one I hit… I lost her, my baby." She said with teary eyes, looking towards the ground. She swallowed back her tears then forced herself to look up and at MacTavish.

"You were right. I have been acting like some kind of innocent victim and I shouldn't make you think that. I'm not innocent. I knew well enough that I shouldn't have gone, but I did and I'm willing to pay the consequences now. I just want you to help me, I need you, John." She said rubbing her left ring finger nervously as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

He sighed. He was still mad at her, but he knew he had to be there for her. He did love her and he knew that she had many problems to work out; he knew he was ready to help her through that. He walked over to her, stepping aside Krista who had now lost her glare and just stood looking towards her sister; arms crossed.

"It's alright, Mells." He whispered against her neck.

Melody smiled softly and stood on her toes so she could press her cheek. As she reopened her eyes, she looked over at the time and gasped. "Shit! Is that really the time?" She said loudly pushing away from him and snatching her jacket hanging off the side of the recliner in the corner.

MacTavish turned to see what had suddenly made her snap her thoughts on something. Melody quickly grabbed the keys from the coffee table then flung her arms around Melanie's neck.

"I hate to leave, but we gotta go. Price and the guys have no clue that we left. I'm promise we'll come back!" Melody said pulling back and looking into her eyes.

Everyone was shocked to see Melody change from her depressed appearance to rushed and impatient. Melody reached over and snatched MacTavish's wrist as she drug him out the front door and fast.

"What the hell is wrong, Melody?" He asked as she sat down in the driver's seat.

"We've been gone for almost a day. Don't you think Price and the others are a little bit curious at where we are? Especially Price, he was absolutely pissed the last time we left in the middle of the night for more than a day." Melody said running her hand through her messy locks nervously before starting the car.

MacTavish nodded once in agreement and sat down in the passenger's side without another word.

The two drove strangely quiet then they usually did when they were alone. They were both avoiding the topic that was on their minds. Their previous fight. Melody didn't want to reminisce on that particular argument. She knew they both would have to talk about it sometime, but she hoped that would be far later than sooner.

When they made it back Melody saw a familiar figure pacing nervously outside the front entrance. As she drove closer, she realized it was their newest "recruit". But why did he look so stressed and worried? He couldn't possibly by stressing about their absence, could he?

Melody took the key out of the ignition and stepped from the car with furrowed eyebrows.

"Frost? What's going on?" She asked remembering the man's callsign.

He turned around hearing her voice. He slightly grinned but let it fade away quickly. "Been jumping through windows on your spare time?" He joked lightly recalling their meeting.

MacTavish arched an eyebrow and Melody just shook her head slightly as if telling him to forget about it. "No, what are you doing out here? Looking for a maniac to jump through glass?" She said walking up to him and crossed her arms.

He chuckled lightly. As his hesitant grin faded, Melody could see something was troubling him and it wasn't some simple thought.

"Derek? What's going on? You don't look good." Melody said brushing off the joking mood and looked into his frosty eyes.

He was clearly avoiding her eyes as he looked down towards his feet and in the parking lot as cars flew by and bright yellow taxis formed a line on the street. He didn't know what to say or how to say the bad news on his mind, but he knew he had to.

"I've got good and bad news." He said starting off.

Melody was impatient now. "Well, what's the good news?" She asked wanting to hear that first. If she knew the bad news before the good, she probably wouldn't be happy about the good news.

"Well, the good news is that we got some information on Jenna. That bitch has gone absolutely crazy. Talks about some revenge mission… entirely wrapped around you. But… the bad news is… when I turned my back on her…" He was hesitant on saying the bad news.

Melody didn't like being none the wiser. She wasn't very surprised that Jenna wanted revenge on her and she already knew Jenna had gone completely mad, but Frost was keeping something probably important from her and she did not like it.

"What? Tell me, now, Derek!" She said gripping his forearm in impatience.

He forced himself to look down an inch into her eyes with a hesitant look. He swallowed back nervousness as he then blurted out the words Price had told him to say to her, since Price didn't want the new guy to get his ass kicked by Melody. Although, considering the outcomes she probably would've lost anyway when she received the news.

"Jenna's gone. The rope was loose and she snuck out last fucking night!" He said angry with himself.

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><p><strong>AN: Aw shizz... Well, that's a little bogus! Lol Stay tuned to see what happens!**

**Chapter Question (Dun dun... DUN!): What do you think will happen now? Will Melody kick his ass? What about Jenna? What about her plans? **

**Stay Tuned please:)**


	11. Chapter 11:Family Reunion and Memories

"What? How the hell'd she escape?" Melody demanded angrily.

"I don't know. Once when you left, Price thinks she had managed to somehow untie herself and she faked being tied up when I went in there last night, after I fixed you up. She escaped around an hour after the guys got back." He quickly explained.

"How could you let that happen? She was under our watch, Westbrook! I know her and I know perfectly well that she will not stop her plans until we're all dead! How could make a rookie mistake like that." Melody said furiously pushing Frost's shoulders.

MacTavish reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her back. He knew she was just worried and slightly scared and tended to let those emotions out in fury. He knew she'd get violent in a second if he didn't stop her.

"MacTavish let me go!" She growled looking straight at Frost like a hunter to its prey.

"Mouse, calm down, now! This was a slip-up, yes. But I am not letting you lose control like this. I said calm your arse down, Captain!" Price said appearing from the building; seeing and hearing Melody's screams and yelled at her.

MacTavish furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and forced himself to hold onto a steaming mad Melody as she pushed and punched against MacTavish's hold.

Melody groaned and ripped herself away from MacTavish. MacTavish took a step out thinking that she was going to take a swing at Frost, but when she began to walk towards the brick wall of the garage beside them he knew she was trying her best to cool down.

Melody could feel the boiling anger inside of her and she placed her hand on her forehead and ran a hand through her hair. She then turned and placed her back against the wall and let her head fall back against the brick; eyes closed and hands pressed in defeat on her forehead.

"What the bloody hell are we going to do now?" MacTavish asked slightly angry.

Price scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. But, if she were smart, she'd wait to attack. Even Makarov waited five years to really make an impact on anything." Price said.

"She's going to wait until we least expect it. I killed her husband when she didn't even suspect it. I betrayed her and our friendship. She lost her mother, the only person who understood her, in a matter of seconds. She wants revenge on all the terrible shit that was happened in her life." Melody said, eyes closed.

The three looked over at her with the same wary and defeated looks. They knew she was right. At that moment, Price remembered something and it was one of the reasons he had come out here in the first place.

"I should probably tell you that I've called in an old friend to help us. We're definitely gonna need it now." He said.

Melody sighed and walked up towards the three. "Who is he?" She asked. She was tired of surprises. She just wanted to be alone with MacTavish or just herself at the moment. At least MacTavish wouldn't tell her any bad news.

"_She_ should be here any minute actually." Price said with a smirk thinking of the woman in his mind.

The three exchanged a glance. Melody ran over a list and thought about who they all possibly knew in the past.

As she thought over this, she saw a car then pull into the building's parking lot. She then thought that if the three knew this woman, somehow, then she probably wasn't going to know that Melody was alive. Melody quickly dove back behind MacTavish as she heard the car hum then stopped as a car door opened.

There was a tense silence between them all until she heard MacTavish in front of her. She furrowed her eyebrows when she noted the faint tone of laughter and amazement.

'Calm down, Johnston. You really need to settle your jealousy issues. This new woman's a friend.' She thought trying to calm herself down.

"Diamond? What are you doing here? Just couldn't stand being without me, could ya?" He said happily stepping out.

Melody gasped softly as she felt MacTavish's strong back, which she had used as a wall between the new "recruit" and herself, vanish from her and she stepped out, catching herself slightly. She looked up to see MacTavish walk up to the woman and hug her tightly.

Melody forced a grin and tried to let the burning jealousy inside her fade. 'She's just a friend… she's JUST a FRIEND.' She chanted over and over in her head as she heard the woman's voice.

"MacTavish… I can't breath! Let up!" She said happily.

Melody stepped back in between Frost and Price. She didn't want to be seen at the moment. She felt guilty for some reason and didn't want to explain this whole thing to her.

"Frost! Oh my God! I thought you were dead!" She then exclaimed happily. Frost left and stepped up towards her. He didn't know whether to hug her or shake her hand so it was a mixture of both.

Melody stood there, rubbing her left arm with her right hand nervously. She tried to make her fairly long hair curtain her face from the old friend. She knew it was ridiculous to try and hide from Diamond since it wasn't like she wasn't going to bump into her or work with her on any missions. Might as well get it over with, but she didn't like it at all.

"So, you guys miss me so much you had to rush me over?" She asked with a playful grin.

Melody peeked from her brown curtain to look at the woman before her. She was still the same as she remembered. Average height, tan brown skin, long brown hair and black-brown eyes. Her face was slightly different, a little more mature. Well, it had been almost four years so yeah anyone would mature in that long gap. Her body was just as strongly-built as she remembered, but one thing she noticed was that there was something different in both her smile and in her eyes. She secretly wondered if it was about Grinch and all the old memories when she saw Frost and the others in front of her. She decided not to bring it up any time soon, though.

"Melody? Is that you?" Diamond then asked, smile faded and stepping slightly closer to her.

Melody's heart raced and her face burned like a volcano. Why was she so nervous and scared? Diamond was a friend and practically a sister to MacTavish. She should be welcoming her, not hiding. Melody slowly looked up from her hair with a forced grin.

"Yeah, surprise." She said in a forced happy tone.

Diamond furrowed her eyebrows, she was completely confused and Melody could tell she did not like it. She was going to press for answers to her questions and Melody wasn't sure if she was ready to give her the backstory. She had already given it so many times now. Every time it depressed her.

"I don't understand. You're dead. It was on the news and MacTavish told me about it. How the hell are you even standing here?" She questioned taking another step towards her.

MacTavish glanced over at Melody and he could see the worry clear on her face. "It's a rather long story, Diamond. I'm not sure if she's ready to really explain it again." He said trying to interrupt the moment and swap it with another topic.

"I get it, okay? I'm alive and everyone's already pin-pointing me as a freak! I'm clearly not dead! Sorry, to disappoint some people. Now will you please, leave me the hell alone." She said looking straight into Diamond's eyes then glanced over at MacTavish.

Melody already felt guilty for treating her so harshly, but just shook her head and stormed off towards the street and far away from the building.

Diamond looked over at MacTavish, slight worry on her face. "I wasn't calling her a freak. I just wanted to know how she was even living." She said looking at his wary face.

MacTavish pinched the bridge of his nose and released a sigh. "Don't worry about it. Melody's been going through a lot right now. It's not you." He said trying to reassure her.

"But how did she survive? I mean, how does someone live through that?" She pressed on hesitantly.

MacTavish couldn't help but lift the corner of his mouth with amusement. After all these years, she was still stubborn as a mule. He knew she wasn't going to stop without answers.

"An hour after we left when she died, some of Makarov's men were scouting the area looking for any survivors of our squad. Well, one man named Anatoly found her body in the remains of the building she was last in and salvaged her body even though Makarov told him to leave her. After a month of painful surgeries, they had someone brought her back to life. She had been recently working with Anatoly until she was given a task to kill someone; she refused and the rest is too long and difficult to explain." He explained. His tone clearly said he was tired of both hearing and explaining her story.

Diamond just nodded though she wasn't satisfied with her new information about her old friend. She hadn't known Melody very well but sometimes thought of her as something close to a sister. Since MacTavish was her "adopted" brother it only made sense that when they were going to get married that she would become her adopted sister-in-law. She grinned slightly thinking how strange that even sounded in her thoughts.

* * *

><p>Melody shivered slightly in the brisk air as she walked across the sidewalk of a busy street at night. She always hated walking at night alone. The dark held to many dark memories she forced to lock away and never be seen again. She still felt bad for what she said and thought about Diamond's return. She was glad she was back, really. But, thinking of the close relationship they had always made her slightly boil inside. She thought it was unfair that it took nearly a year for them to even touch each other, but only a small time for them to become best friends and practically siblings! She felt jealousy rise again inside her thinking of everything.<p>

She sighed as she then began to think about an old thought. She surprised herself by recalling the moment, but thinking of jealousy; she couldn't help but remember it.

"_C'mon, Melody. Why are you so upset? You know you can tell me anything." Margaret pressed again to the young girl lazily swinging on the empty swings._

_Melody's long brown hair was split and braided down the sides and over her shoulders. She looked down at the ground to Margaret's side. She wore her new glasses that day at school. She hated them so; they were small squared, black frames with a butterfly pattern on the inside. She thought it was so horrible; they already didn't like her already and found something to mock her for and now she had the glasses._

"_Melody, you will please talk to me?" Margaret pressed to the non-blinking, absentminded child in front of her._

_She sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back, Melody." She said stroking back a loose strand of hair then walked off towards the car some meters away._

_At that moment, a small boy with wild brown hair and matching dark green eyes bounded over towards her. She jumped slightly seeing him come so quickly. He wore a light blue sweater vest and tan dress pants. He was growling under his breath and running both hands through his neatly combed hair._

"_Man, I absolutely hate picture day! It's the stupidest thing in the history of the world!" He whined poking at his clothes._

_Melody couldn't help but grin at the boy. "At least you only have to wear those one day. I'm stuck looking like a weirdo." She said pointing at her glasses._

_The boy pursed his lips at her. "You do not, Melody! Crikies, do we always have to tell you that!" He exclaimed throwing his small, thin arms in the air before crossing them across his chest._

_She just stuck her tongue out at him with a giggle. "Zach, why are you my best friend in the world?" She asked with a grin._

_He smiled at her. There was a gap on the front row of teeth and others were uneven as he looked at his friend. "Because, my momma told me to never be mean to people. Some people are just big ole bullies. Like that stupid Jimmy. Belch, he is so nasty!" He said shivering at the thought of him._

_Melody's grin faded to a frown at the name. She thought about earlier today and what had made her so depressed; besides the glasses. Jimmy had told her she was pretty and he said he liked her before, but when she came in that day he laughed at her with all the other children. She had cried in the hall and later at lunch he said that she wasn't his "boyfriend" and said that the new girl, Felicity Graham, was really really pretty._

"_No, Felicity Graham is the nastiest person in the school." She grumbled. She felt hate and envy rise in her as she thought about the girl. _

_Zach arched an eyebrow at the girl but shook it off. "Hey, wanna go play on the jungle gym! I bet you can beat the boy who's been bragging on and on about how he is the champion at the monkey bars." He then said with a toothy grin._

_Melody frowned at first then looked over towards the high monkey bars Zachary pointed towards. She didn't want to, but looking at her friend's happy and excited grin, she knew she'd do anything to make sure the only kid who treated her nicely could stay happy._

"_Okay! He looks like he needs to be brought down a little." She said rolling up imaginary sleeves._

_Zach giggled and tugged on her wrist as the two ran towards the monkey bars and towards the boasting ten year old._

Melody sighed remembering her old friend. He had been with her since first grade to graduation and was there the day she was sent off to the base where Shepherd had recruited her to. She remembered promising him that the day she had clearance she was going to come back so they could continue being best friends. She felt her heart tug in depression as she thought that she had broken that promise. She hadn't seen him in eight years. She still missed him, even this day.

'I should try to find him someday, maybe when things settle down. But will they ever settle down now?' She thought hugging her shoulders against the strong wind.

She figured not and kept on walking down the sidewalk towards the old building. She hadn't walked far from the building, just far enough to blow off steam. She smiled thinking that her past, Margaret and Zachary, still made her feel so calm and peaceful.

She then grew depressed again thinking of how much she missed them. She hoped Zachary had kept his promise to her that he'd talk to the one girl whom he had liked, Brittany White. She was a nice girl and they had sat beside each other in English for a year. She hoped he had someone through the time of their separation.

That brought her to another thought; did Zachary think she was dead? She had almost forgotten about the news that MacTavish and Price had spread to the world about her death and how she was killed in action. She felt awful for barely hoping that Zach was upset about that. She then scolded herself for thinking so, but she still wished that he was with her now. He always knew what to say to her.

She halted in her steps. "We're even." She whispered to herself.

MacTavish had Diamond as a "sister" and she had Zachary as her "brother". She knew MacTavish loved her and she wondered if she should tell him about her "brother". She then felt some of the jealousy towards Diamond roll down her back.

'Well, that's one thing off the list.' She thought with a grin.

She then walked into the parking lot of the building with a slight skip in her step; she then noticed that some lights were on towards the upper floors. Some were still here; good. She'd hate to come back to absolutely nobody.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took a while to update. I was with family the past couple days. **

**Diamond does not belong to me! She belongs to Queenhks (hope I spelled that right:P) She is an awesome writer and also owns the story 'The Will of a Single Man!'. I highly reccomend reading it because it's 100% Awesome! Go read it now! **

**Welp, another OC introduced, huh? lol, seems like I have a new one every chapter. I won't really delve into him unless you want me to. Also, sorry if the beginning seems like it's dragging on. I'm just trying to get all the needed information in before I make a time jump. I know, sounds completely ridiculous, but I don't want to put about like five years of boring in like twenty million chapters, lol. I know that sounds lazy, but who wants to read a boring story? **

**Thanks for reading and sticking with me through this. Review please if you have any compliments or complaints or suggestions. Any kind of criticism is appreciated. Thanks again and have a great day!**


	12. Chapter 12: A Mother's Love

Diamond sat outside the building Price had recruited her to. She hadn't much activity after the whole thing with hunting down Makarov. She had missed the action and the team. She growled at herself as she thought about one particular person she missed dearly.

'Get a hold of yourself, Diamond! It's over and done; move on!' She yelled in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard two footsteps and a female voice tinted with amusement. She then looked over to see MacTavish and Melody walking towards the building, but stopped as MacTavish playfully slung her and pressed her back against one of the old cars in the lot.

Melody had the look of depression on her face as she walked beside him. She must've thought or said something to depress her. MacTavish, of course, didn't like it and immediately tried to make her laugh and cheer up.

"Stop! John, I said stop! Agh, Jonathon Matthew!" She said sternly at first, but then broke into an uncontrollable laugh as he raised his hand and immediately began to tickle her side.

"Cheer up then! I'm not stopping until I know you're happy!" He said back in the middle of a chuckle.

He then began to tickle and slightly pinch her sides and slapped his arms with a wide, ear-to-ear smile. MacTavish continued to do so until Melody's face burned bright red and she was losing breath.

"Why d'ya gotta be like that?" Melody asked trying to regain her breath with a grin.

MacTavish stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. "Like what? You know you love it." He said with a flirty grin.

She rolled her eyes at him with a smile. "I hate you so much." She joked standing on her toes.

"The feeling's mutual." He joked back.

Diamond looked away with warm cheeks as he pressed his lips softly on Melody's. She felt embarrassed now for watching them for so long; even though they didn't see her at the entrance. She couldn't help but feel something tug in her chest. She was glad that MacTavish had Melody with him and that he was happy, but she couldn't help but think it was almost unfair. MacTavish lost his love and so did Diamond, but he got a happy ending and now they, she thought, were going to get married; and for sure this time. While she was left with the pain of saying farewell and living with facing the fact that she will never see the man she loved again. No happy ending. She knew she should be thankful that she was alive and alright instead of so many that had died in her team, but it felt as though something had died inside her.

She sighed and turned away from MacTavish and Melody's joy-filled moment and back inside. She almost wished to hear some bad news, just to get the agonizing joy away. Not that she didn't want everyone to suffer, but she just was tired of being the only sad person here. Hell, even Price had someone to live for now.

She wasn't quite sure what Price had planned now, but she hoped her mentor had something mission-wise to do. She hadn't got far from the parking lot when she saw Becca and Dunn talking outside one door far down the hall.

Becca looked half-annoyed and Dunn just looked mad. Diamond furrowed her eyebrows; that emotion looked foreign on his face. It didn't belong there. She was so used to seeing the two so happy and positive, seeing them now with the complete opposite honestly unnerved her some. She had just wished for some bad news but she hadn't really meant it!

"…I don't want anything to happen to you two. You have to tell your father and you have to go somewhere safe." Dunn said whispering angrily to her.

"No! I'm not just going to sit aside like some porcelain doll and hope that nothing bad happens to you! I will be fine for at least a couple months; we'll be fine, Michael." She pressed sternly.

Diamond was deeply confused. We? Who were they talking about?

Dunn suppressed an aggravated sigh. "Fine, but if something happens you can't say I didn't warn you, Becca." He said at first angry then looked at her upset face. He stepped back towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you Becca. I love you and if anything did happen like what happened with Melody…" He said unable to say any more.

Becca looked up from his chest and placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his lips reassuringly and lovingly. "Nothing like that will happen. I love my little family too much to even consider doing that when I'm one hundred percent sure. Not that I'm better than Melody, but you know what I mean." She said stroking his jawline with her thumb.

He didn't say anything but kissed her once again.

Diamond then walked into another room, escaping from their moment. She couldn't explain why she felt this way. She hated it completely! Why did her chest tug and her eyes burn. Why couldn't she get _him_ off her mind? And why did she keep calling him, _him._

She sat down on one of the chairs inside the room and placed her elbows on her knees. She stared at the floor and took multiple deep breaths.

"Get a grip! Get. A. Grip!" She said to herself as she felt her chest hurt more.

A sudden memory then clawed its way towards her thoughts and she gasped when she felt something wet and small hit her palm. She furrowed her eyebrows at first then realized that her left cheek felt slightly damp. She hesitantly placed a hand to her face and discovered that she was crying.

What? She hadn't cried in the longest time. It was foreign to feel such strong emotions. She wondered if Melody had ever felt this way. MacTavish had told her how distant and different she was before and how she was always so angry and sarcastic. She wondered if she'd end up like Melody also. She sighed and placed her head in her hands wearily.

* * *

><p>"Momma? Momma, it is you!" The boy exclaimed happily and ran towards the wearisome blonde in front of him.<p>

"Kyle! Oh baby I missed you so much!" She said wrapping the small boy in her arms.

Jenna kissed his forehead with a bright smile.

"I knew you'd come back Momma! I just knew you would! Where's Daddy?" He asked looking at his mother's face with a wide and hopeful smile.

"Um, I'll tell you later sweetheart, right now just let me get some things straightened out right now, okay?" She said taking his small face in her hands and stroked his cheekbone with her right thumb.

He nodded and hugged his mother again.

"Why don't you tell me all that has gone on with you, I want to know every single second I was gone." She said walking down the sidewalk, taking the boy's hand in a tight grip.

"Not much, I met this one girl at school today though. She's nice and kinda pretty." He said shyly tucking away into his mother's hip.

Jenna arched her eyebrows and smiled. "Oh really? What's her name? Do ya like her?" She asked slightly swinging his arm to tell her more.

"Yeah, her name's Avery I think. She's almost seven she said and that her daddy looked after her. She even gave me my favorite color of gummy bears even though she said they were her favorite too!" He said excitedly looking at her.

Jenna giggled at her young son. "That's wonderful, Kyle. Ah, here we are. Why don't you go upstairs and pack up all your stuff, I'll talk with Ms. McKreery." She said kneeling down on one knee in front of him and placed a hand on his cold cheek.

"Okay, Momma." He said and turned to run off into the orphanage behind them.

Jenna felt awful for leaving her son like this as she stared at the old building. Things had changed so much since she and Ian were recruited by Anatoly. She felt a joy recalling the moment she blasted a bullet in his skull. An almost evil smile spread across her face as she began to walk into the building.

Some hours later she had been able to reclaim her son and she immediately ran off towards her car. She had just escaped from Price and the others and she knew they'd start looking for her soon. She just had to have her son again, that was one of the main reasons why she had cut her ropes when she said the correct words she knew would set off Melody and into her "episodes".

"Momma, why are you moving so fast? Is that a gun?" He nearly screamed as he looked back.

"Kyle, I'm sorry but I cannot explain right now. Promise me you will not tell a soul, not even Avery or your teachers. I'm only trying to protect you from very bad people, do you understand?" She said looking down into his crisp blue eyes.

"Is someone hurting you, Momma?" He asked frightened.

"No, but if you ever hear or get near someone with the names Melody Johnston, John Price, or John MacTavish, run away and far and don't tell them anything, promise me, okay?" She said frantically fumbling the keys in her hand.

He just nodded as he felt terrified tears spring to his eyes. He feared that his mother had changed. What happened to the fun-loving, caring woman he always ran to when he had bad dreams? What about his father? She seemed so hesitant to tell him where he was. He just wanted his mother and father back so things could get back to normal.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter :P Had a little trouble with this one for some reason. Wasn't exactly sure about the relationship with Kyle and Jenna and I promise to get more explanation into that. I got my first pair of glasses so, I'm still getting used to them and my mind is blech! Lol, sorry for talking about me in every Author's Note.**

**Chapter Question: Who do you think Becca and Dunn were talking about and what about Diamond? Will she be able to cope with her loss? And Jenna and Kyle; will things change for them or will they live normal lives?**

**Stay Tuned!**

**(Once again, I do not own Diamond. Queenkhs has 100% ownership of her! She is an amazing writer also so once again check her and her story, 'The Will of a Single Man!' out right now!**

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**What are you still doing here? Go check her out! Bahaha ;)**


	13. Chapter 13: Thinking for Two

Five Weeks Later:

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! You're gonna be late!" Becca sang cheerfully dragging Melody across the slick, waxed, white tiled floor of the local mall.

"Becca, I don't want to!" She whined pulling against her friend's strong grip.

"Melody, you're my best friend and I love you, but I really don't give a damn." She said looking at her with stern and joking eyes.

Melody just rolled her eyes at her friend.

"It can't be to bad, sweetie." Melanie encouraged behind her, patting her shoulder.

"Mom's right, it's not long at all. You go in the room, take your clothes off and you're done in like ten seconds." Krista said throwing her purse over her shoulder.

"Easy for you to say, you barely knew him when you did it! You didn't have to worry about feelings then." Melody moaned looking back at her sister.

"Don't worry, you're going to be great and it'll be over in a small matter of time. We all believe in you, Mells! You know MacTavish will be upset if you don't." Becca said turning and placing her hands on her shoulders.

Melody arched an eyebrow. "How in the world would MacTavish be upset if I _didn't_ do it? I think he'd be rather glad because I didn't give into peer pressure." She said folding her arms proudly.

"Screw pride, Melody. You're going to get in that room take your clothes off and once you're done you'll get married in two weeks! Now, charge soldier!" Becca said standing straight then grabbed Melody's elbow and threw her in front of her.

"Becca! What the hell!" Melody groaned.

"I said charge!" Becca said leaning forward and pressing her hands against her back. Becca then began to jog slightly as Melody was forced into the small building.

Krista and Melanie laughed at the sight and Krista turned to her mother.

"What is it with Melody and lingerie stores?" She said with a laugh.

"I don't know. But one thing's for sure; after more then ten years you won't even care anymore 'cause you've seen it all." Melanie joked walking with her towards the store.

The four women stood at one rack, Melody placing a hand to her red face in embarrassment. She felt so awkward being there.

"Oh, what about this? You think 'Tavish would likey?" Becca asked taking one off the rack with a playful tone.

Melody looked in horror at the small, thin lingerie gown in her hand. It was black and looked like it would barely cover anything.

"Where's the rest of it?" Melody asked with fake terror in her voice.

"There isn't any; this is it!" Becca giggled turning it over in her hand.

"But… It wouldn't cover anything! I'd be showing everything!" Melody whispered embarrassed.

Becca looked up from the thin gown to her friend's face with a cocky grin and raised brow. "Exactly, my dear Melody."She said tapping her nose with a grin.

Melody let out a breath and leaned against one of the metal racks. As Becca walked off with the others to another side of the store, she then unknowingly played with a loose end of lacy material at her side. She turned to see what it was she was exactly stroking and found just a plain corset and beside it was a thin see-through pink gown.

"Wow…" She said in a low voice under her breath.

"Melody, the audience has spoken." She heard Becca's voice behind her as she took her wrist and drug her back towards one of the changing rooms.

Melanie and Krista sat down on the chairs outside the dressing room examining the store and Krista messing with her phone. Becca seemed more excited about getting something for Melody and MacTavish's wedding night then Melody herself was.

"Here try on these!" She said taking a large heap of small and "revealing" clothing.

Melody held the large stack and cocked her head to see her friend's smiling face. "Becca, were going away for a week not an entire month." She said raising her eyebrows.

"Well, you never know. Maybe you can model these for him also." Becca said with a giggle.

Melody just rolled her eyes with a grin. "Becca, if you weren't my friend I think you're trying to get me pregnant or something." She said turning on her heel and into the dressing room.

Becca grinned and looked back at Melanie and Krista.

"Oh, well you never know." She whispered mischievously and sat down beside the two.

"Why are you making her try on so many gowns and things anyway? Are you trying to get her pregnant?" Krista joked leaning over to look at her.

Becca just chuckled at her. "Trust me, if I wanted them to have a kid I'd force them myself. Maybe even throw them into a room until they did it. Of course, I wouldn't watch or anything. But I think you get the point." She said awkwardly.

Melody looked at her long denim jeans and ivory, button-up blouse sitting neatly on the chair. Her hair was braided down her back in a neat braid with a few wavy strands cupping her face for some kind of style to her usually "bland" hair, as Becca would've said. Once again, Melody didn't wear much make-up except some light cover up –because she still hated the scars and marks on her skin- and lips gloss. As she looked at herself in the body-length mirror, she felt like crying.

She could see her arms and legs in their current state. Painted with long-lasting scars and burn marks from punishments with Anatoly and his men. Some were old pale scars from cuts or bruises from her old training habits in both the academy and when she was with the Marines. She thought of how terrible she looked to the eye. She couldn't help but wonder why anyone would find this attractive.

She raised her forearm to her sight as she looked at the scars tattooed on her skin permanently.

'Lier'. Anatoly had carved the word into her skin so she would always know of the betrayal she committed to his team and himself. 'Bitch'. Well, Jenna had done that one in anger that night when she received the news. It broke Melody's heart to this day to think of her old friend and how hurt she was.

She hoped MacTavish would never see these. She knew he'd immediately freak out and demand explanations. She didn't want him to see her like this in the first place. That's why she always pushed him away. She loved MacTavish, with all her heart. But, she would think of the words and her scars and she didn't want him to see those markings on her. She always felt so bad when she'd see MacTavish's either annoyed or hurt look. She wanted him, but she didn't want him to see her so tore up and, in her opinion, so ugly.

* * *

><p>"I don't know what her deal is anymore. I'm marrying her in less than three weeks and she's refusing to even look at me half the time." MacTavish sitting in the living room of his new apartment, looking at the woman beside him.<p>

"Why not? Do you think she's having cold feet or something, bro?" Diamond asked trying to pop her neck and looked at him.

"I don't know. Do you think she is? I mean, she was hesitant about before all this. Before her 'death'." He said placing his elbows on his knees, licking his lips in deep thought.

"I dunno, man. But all I can say is this; if you love her and she loves you, then, if I know her right, she'll be walking to ya in a white dress." She said unsure.

"But what if she doesn't. She's been having these dreams lately about getting married. Each time is different. If it isn't everyone vanishing then it's someone was killed or she held me in her arms and watched me die. She is known to talk in her sleep and sometimes I hate to even hear her dreams. She sometimes calls out for me, but most of the time it's either Simon or Frost. I'm worried about her." He said furrowing his eyebrows sadly and looked down at the ground.

Diamond sighed and looked at him. There was a moment of silence between them until Diamond broke after she really took in what MacTavish said.

MacTavish looked up at her with an aggravated glare as Diamond burst into a hearty laugh.

"What the bloody hell's so funny!" He demanded glaring at her.

Diamond waited a minute before replying, trying to gain her breath to talk between the laughs. "She's having dreams about other men and calling for them and you're worried about her having cold feet and marrying you! Damn, bro. You're very slow." She laughed looking at him.

MacTavish just rolled his eyes annoyed at her.

As MacTavish stood up, the two then heard someone pull up into the driveway.

Diamond looked up at him with a cocky grin. "Maybe she brought home some guy friends." She teased.

MacTavish arched a brow. "No speaking." He said before walking across the room to get the door.

Diamond made a face and mimicked his Scottish voice nasally. She knew MacTavish grinned even though she couldn't see him.

A second later the three women stepped in and MacTavish leaned down so Melanie could tell him something quietly. Diamond furrowed her eyebrows at MacTavish as he straightened up with a shocked face and ran out into the car.

Krista and Melanie stood there awkwardly. Diamond looked up to notice Krista was staring at her with a curious glare.

"Who the hell are you eyeballing?" She asked looking up at her.

She could tell she was taken aback by her approach, but she apparently didn't know Diamond.

"Sorry, I just haven't met you before. I'm Krista and this is my mother Melanie, and that's Becca. Who are you?" She then rushed out and looked back at her.

Diamond was fixing to say her name when she got the idea to mess with her a little bit. She ran a hand through her and slightly leaned forward with a flirty grin. "Oh, I'm MacTavish's personal stripper." She joked shimmying her shoulders slightly.

Krista's eyes were wide in shock and Diamond and Becca broke into laughter at her face.

"Ignore her, her name's Davika Singh but we all just call her Diamond. Price recruited her a while back and she's really good friends with MacTavish." Becca explained looking at Krista with a grin.

Krista nodded unsure with furrowed eyebrows. She still peeked at Diamond from the corner of her with the same suspecting look.

MacTavish then came inside carrying someone in his arms. When Diamond noticed the brown chestnut hair she jumped up from the chair she sat in.

"What the hell happened to her?" She asked watching MacTavish place her softly on the couch and brushed back her hair from her face.

"We were standing in the store looking at rings when she looked behind her. She mumbled something but I couldn't make it out and she fainted again. I thought it was nothing serious so we just brought her home quickly. She's been asking for you and someone else. But mainly you." Melanie explained taking the armful of bags from the three and sat them carefully behind the door.

MacTavish looked over at Diamond who grinned slightly and gave him a look that said 'and you were worried'.

At that second, Melody reached out hesitantly and gripped MacTavish shirt tail.

"..John..." She whispered.

The five could hear the slight terror and urgency in her voice as she furrowed her sweaty brow and forced her eyes open.

MacTavish kneeled down beside her and stroked her warm cheek.

"I… saw her." There was a pause as she tried to gain her breath to speak again. "Jenna…at the mall." Another pause as Melody inhaled. "With... her son…. Kyle. Kyle was, uh… with someone else at the moment and Jenna… she had a gun." Melody paused with blurry eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. "Seeing her made me realize." She paused, but she was getting slowly back to regular breaths. "We're endangering ourselves and our future. I think it might be a mistake to get married, John." She said as a tear streamed down her eye.

MacTavish looked hurt with furrowed eyebrows as he noticed her left hand was bare. He quickly glanced up at Diamond who was equally shocked as the others.

She looked at MacTavish with an apologetic look and mouthed, 'I'm so sorry'.

He didn't know what she was talking about since he was still shocked that she apologized. Usually she didn't. He couldn't help but think it was for the better.

Melody fell back asleep after making her statement and her hand fell to her side.

MacTavish sighed even though he felt like being alone, he looked over at Diamond.

"Hand me the phone in her bag, Diamond. We should, uh, call her Dad and tell him about this. It doesn't seem serious but I'd feel better knowing that someone with more experience told me that." He said pointing towards the grey bag leaning against the wall.

Diamond looked at him once, noticing the hurt and pained look in his eyes then turned to the front door. She knew she couldn't comfort him at this moment. She'd probably just hurt them both. That was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

She sat on the balls of her feet as she carefully searched through her bag looking for Melody's cell phone. She picked up some items but they were wrong. Diamond quietly scoffed to herself a small pamphlet about toddlers and infants. She found many things like that in her bag and by now she couldn't help but wonder if Melody was keeping something from everyone.

She found another small magazine article ripped from a magazine with a small list of things not to eat or do when pregnant.

'What the hell, Melody? What are you keeping from us?' She thought furrowing her eyebrows. She then grew more interested in the contents in her bag then the cell phone.

"Ya got it, Diamond?" MacTavish then asked looking back at her, stroking Melody's hair.

Diamond hand's fumbled around the little pink pacifier in her hands and she rushed out in reply. "Um, yeah. This girl must be planning something." She said trying not to give away anything. She guessed that since everything was hid far down in her bag that she must be trying to hide it.

As she placed her hand on the slick, touch screen phone in a side pocket she glanced twice at something farther down towards the bottom of the bag. Her mouth gaped to a small 'O' as she looked at the small, rectangular pink box. All she read was pregnancy and test before bolting away from the bag and towards MacTavish. Her heart raced thinking of Melody like that.

'Melody, you really are one helluva case study.' She thought looking at the asleep woman.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Holy crap, did I really go that far! Haha, what do you think of Melody's secret and her decision. **

**Chapter Question: What do you think Diamond will do now that she knows of Melody secret? Will she tell MacTavish or keep it to herself? Will Melody really reject marrrying him?**

**(I know this chapter sucks, but it's how I wanted it to be:)**


	14. Chapter 14: Thanks you Scottish Drunk!

MacTavish took the phone in his hand and turned as he began to call a number.

Diamond looked down at Melody with a thoughtful glance as they heard Krista begin to speak beside them.

"Did she say while we were looking at the rings? If so, then no one was there. I've seen Jenna before, when she showed me a picture of her when I asked and that woman was no where near us. Do you think Melody might be seeing things?" She asked looking at Becca and glancing at Diamond.

Diamond furrowed her eyebrows. What could possibly make Melody see things? She really needed to talk to MacTavish before Melody woke up and wouldn't strangle her.

After a while, MacTavish hung up and immediately took Melody in his arms. He said something that she needed lots of rest and that she must be keeping things hidden again. Something close to a panic attack. Diamond didn't know much, practically nothing for that matter, about pregnancies but she knew that that shouldn't be so well for a baby. She had to tell MacTavish about the matter and soon.

As soon as Melody had completely fallen asleep in their bed and Becca and the others left, Diamond took her chance and she ripped Melody's bag from the floor and in her grasp and she forced MacTavish down onto the loveseat as she stood in front of him.

"Oi, what is with you?" He demanded at her swift and almost panicked movements.

Diamond dropped the bag on his lap and he just furrowed his eyebrows.

"Look in it." She ordered crossing her arms.

Just as he looked down to look through it, Diamond rushed out the words she had been biting on the past thirty or more minutes.

"I have a good feeling Melody's pregnant." She said looking straight into MacTavish's eyes.

He looked up at her with wide eyes. He then quickly began to look through the contents in her bag and stumbled across the same items Diamond had found earlier.

Diamond began to worry when she noticed that he wasn't talking and he was just staring at the rectangular pink box in his hands. "MacTavish? Soap? John?" She used all three of his names that she could think of to snap him out of it. "Scottish drunky?" She then asked one final time recalling the nickname she gave him when he got drunk one night.

Diamond jumped as MacTavish shot off the loveseat, box in hand as he rushed towards the kitchen for better lighting and away from Diamond as he took the stick from the box.

He felt awkward for holding it, but he knew he couldn't contain the burning question anymore. As he looked down at it, he let out a breath then walked towards their bedroom; scratching his neck warily.

He closed the door and Diamond then walked slowly towards the kitchen. Curiosity getting the best of her and she thought that since she saw the things in her bag and found out first it wasn't really being nosey, was it?

She picked up the stick from one edge and placed it on the table. Diamond now knew why MacTavish had been so cautious with it. Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth gaped open slightly as she stared in amazement at the result staring her straight in the face. Positive.

Well, it was only one. Maybe false reading? Either way, she knew MacTavish did not care at all about if it was true or not.

* * *

><p>MacTavish sat there beside the bed, waiting for Melody to wake and watching her sleep. He didn't know whether to be terrified or furious. He was mad because she was keeping secrets that important from him again and terrified because he had no idea what to do. If the test was right, then what were they going to do? He had no idea how to be a father and Melody knew nothing of being a mother. Yes, she had been well with kids in her day, but really carrying and raising her own child. That'd definitely be a new and frightening experience for her. He then thought of how his mom always told both he and his sister that they better marry soon and have grandchildren before she was dead. He couldn't help but grin thinking of his mother. She always joked so severely but he knew she was serious. He wondered what she would've thought thinking that her wish might come true.<p>

As Melody stirred, MacTavish snapped back into reality and chased away his childhood memories of his mother.

"Hey. Sorry about earlier. I was, uh, really stressed." Melody immediately apologized, rubbing her eye. She paused as she saw MacTavish's glare. "What?" She said uneasy.

"Why didn't you tell me you thought you were pregnant?" He immediately demanded.

Melody's heart skipped a beat and she placed a hand on her forehead. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said hoping she wouldn't have to talk about this right now.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshite Melody! When you passed out on the couch I told Diamond to get me your cell phone from your bag. She saw this in it." He said dumping the contents of her bag onto the bed beside her feet.

"MacTavish, I can explain." She rushed out, brown eyes full with worry and fear as she looked up at him.

"No! I'm tired of you keeping secrets from me! Tell me why you've been keeping this to yourself." He said looking down at her.

"I wasn't sure, okay? I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want it to be false and grow attached to the baby just for it to be false. I was scared, okay? This is new to me. I know I've been pregnant before but really thinking that this is the time I'm going to change my life completely scared me!" She said loudly.

MacTavish just sighed and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. He was trying to calm down before he said something like last time he was so angry. "You could've told me. I love you and you know that. You can tell me anything." He said sitting beside her on the bed.

Melody then crawled out from her covers and wrapped her arms tight around his neck. "I'm sorry." She whispered then paused. "John, I think I'm pregnant." She then said.

He just sighed and placed his arms around her waist, pulling her to his lap. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she placed her cheek against his cheek. To anyone, it looked much like someone comforting a child.

"What are we going to do, John? We have no idea how to be parents." She said quietly staring at the wall in front of her.

He just took a deep breath and hugged her tightly. "Well, first we need to make sure it's completely positive. Maybe schedule you with a doctor or something." He paused hearing her sigh.

"I hate doctors." She said quietly.

MacTavish grinned slightly then let it fade. "How far along are you?" He then asked.

Melody was quiet for a moment before answering. "If I'm right, five weeks." She said looking up at him. A thought then approached her mind. "You said Diamond was looking in my bag. Did she tell you?" She asked.

He just nodded.

"Dammit, I wanted to be the one to tell you once I knew. I knew you'd be more mad hearing it from someone else than me." She said a little aggravated.

He just chuckled. "Yeah, I was pissed." He said placing his chin on her head. They sat there for a moment in silence until MacTavish broke it. "You said five weeks… Shite, didn't we go to that bar five weeks ago because of Dunn's announcement." He said now realizing.

"If you're talking about Becca being pregnant then yes. But you're wrong. You went while I stayed back with Diamond." She said with a grin.

"And I came back drunk…" He said slowly.

Melody was confused at first then her eyes widened when she knew where he was going. She then slapped his arm.

"Ow, what the hell?" He said rubbing his arm slightly.

"Thanks for practically raping me! Urgh! That's why I don't get drunk!" She said angrily pushing herself away from him.

MacTavish's cheeks were slightly warm as he looked at her. "What can I say, I'm Scottish. And when I was drunk, you looked really, really sexy to me." He said with a grin.

Melody didn't say anything and just brushed off his joke. There was a silence until Melody spoke. "Oh… so, I'm only sexy to you when you're drunk?" She asked looking over at the wall with an uncontrollable grin.

He arched an eyebrow. "You know what I mean." There was a pause. "So, do you still refuse our engagement?" He asked looking at her.

Melody turned back towards him and looked him in the eyes. "No, we have to get married now, right? Besides, I was stressed and scared when I said that. By the way, I think I imagined Jenna being there at the mall." She said holding his hand.

"Yeah, I talked to your Dad about that. He said that you just need to relax and rest for a couple days. You especially need to now that we know you're pregnant. Wouldn't be good on the baby." He said looking at her.

She nodded and reached down into her back pocket and pulled out her ring. "So, I guess this means that I don't have to give this back." She said holding it in her fingers.

He scoffed with a grin. He took the ring from her fingers and placed it on its original place. "Nope, you just gotta promise me you'll wear it now." He said with a grin.

Melody smiled. "Always." She said sitting back in his lap again.

MacTavish smiled and leaned down and kissed her lips. Melody kissed him back and placed her left hand on his cheek and smiled. "Keep it in your pants, Scotland. We got a part crasher now." She joked giving him a peck on the lips and lay back down.

He just chuckled and threw the covers over her head. "Go to sleep, Mummy." He said lying back with her.

Melody smiled and scooted closer to him and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat lullaby until she soon fell back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I know it might seem a little confusing, but I'm just trying to get things settle before the time gap. You guys probably hate that huh? Lol, well now we know what Dunn and Becca were talking about when Diamond, uh, 'overheard' them. I guess I really don't have much to say but...**

**Chapter Question: How are things going to change now that almost everyone is pregnantlol. How will Melody tell everyone and when will we be able to freaking hear from Simon and Avery again!**

**To be answered and stay tuned! :)**


	15. Chapter 15: I object!

Avery's POV:

"Who did you say was going to pick you up this time, Avery?" My teacher asked as we sat on step in the driveway where the parents picked us up.

I rested my chin on palm and sighed. "I don't know, Miss Thatcher." I sighed.

She rubbed my back then stood to mess around in her bag some more.

Daddy was late again. He was always doing something and so was Uncle Blake. I wished I hadn't encouraged him to go out with that Kennedy girl. He was spending almost all his time with her now. I wonder if now that there's another important girl in his life that he forgot about me. Well, at least he isn't lonely any more, right? I missed Melody. At least she picked me up on time. I hadn't seen her in nearly a month or two. She said she'd come see me really soon, but that was forever ago. I sighed and pulled on my journal and crayons and finished the drawing I began while I was waiting for Blake yesterday.

I had just finished drawing in Anatoly's brown hair and blue eyes when he had picked me yesterday. I still thought about him. He called me Stacia once. He was my friend and he had tried to help me escape from Jenna. It was my fault he was dead. That reminded me, I was late for my therapy session again. I don't know why Daddy still let me go there. I hate relieving those nightmares everyday. I just want to keep them inside so no one would know.

As I finished coloring in Anatoly's black suit, I heard a car pull into the driveway. I looked up to see my Uncle Blake and his girl friend.

"Hey, munchkin!" He called happily.

He always seemed so happy to see me. Too bad it was probably a lie.

I just stuffed my journal and colors back in my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. "Hey." I said softly as I walked towards the car door.

My teacher waved me off and went back inside to get everything ready for her to leave. As I sat down in my car seat and buckled myself, Blake looked at his girlfriend funny. They both looked worried.

It was a quiet ride home until I asked Blake something. "Where's Daddy at?" I asked kicking my feet.

He seemed like he didn't want to answer. I immediately felt disappointed because I knew it wasn't a good answer.

"Ave, Simon was busy today. But, don't worry, he's gonna be back soon. Melody called him and told him to come down." He said looking back at me with a grin.

I gasped. "Really! Will Auntie Melody come over?" I immediately asked.

Both Blake and the girl smiled at me; glad I cheered up.

"I don't know kiddo. But he said Melody had some big news." He said.

I smiled and sat back in my car seat. I looked out the window with a smile. I noticed something. We weren't going the usual way home.

"Where are we going, Uncle Blake?" I asked arching an eyebrow.

Blake just chuckled. "You'll see kiddo." There was a pause then he spoke again, trying to pass time. "So, um, how was school? Learn anything new?" He asked.

I just shrugged. "Same old, same old. But, I miss my friend. He moved a couple weeks ago. I've been sad all the time now." I said kicking my feet and looking down at the carpet below me.

Blake looked at me from the rearview mirror. "Why didn't you tell us that you were depressed about your friend? Who was he?" He asked.

I stared at the ground before answering. "His name was Kyle. Kyle Davenport." I said hesitantly.

Blake and the girl exchanged a glance at the name. They were told of that last name and the owner of it. The woman who took me away a couple of months ago.

"Sweetie, do you know his mother?" Blake asked.

I shook my head. "No, he said his Mom vanished and that his Dad died a while back when he was about three or four. He was my best friend. We used to share snacks and he liked to sit by me." I said solemnly looking at my folded hands.

Blake didn't say anything else of the matter and after a thirty or so minutes of driving, I fell asleep. The only bad thing about sleeping now a days; the nightmares. They were different every time.

"_Avery? Avery!" I could hear Melody calling out for me; past the flames and burning debris._

"_Melody? Melody! Over here!" I screamed back stepping towards her._

_Just as I smiled and reached out for her as she was going to wrap me in her arms; she stopped with wide eyes and a pale face and clutched at her stomach. _

_I watched in horror as my Auntie Melody; the only thing I had of a mother, die in front of me._

_My eyes burned from the flames and toxins being thrown around this room. I want my Auntie Melody alive; why did she have to die? Why did Anatoly have to die because he had a change of heart near the end? Oh, where was my Daddy!_

_I looked up to see some men being shot at. I recognized them as the people Daddy and Melody knew; the Task Force. No, they couldn't die! _

_I jumped up from Melody's body sadly and began to run towards them. One man, who I thought had killed Melody before, looked over at me and shouted something, motioning me to say inside._

_But it was burning! Why?_

_Just as I thought this, the tall Mohawk man was shot just like Melody was and he fell to the ground._

_I gasped and fell to the ground as I tripped over debris. No, another person died because of me. How many lives am I going to take before I myself am dead? _

_I could see more being shot, some more that was familiar. Like the older man with a British accent that held me in safety when Jenna threw Melody around, taunting her and telling the Mohawk man to kill her._

_He tried to protect me and died now in the process. _

_I finally sat there and cried, for what feels like forever until I felt arms lift me up and into a warm and comforting chest._

"_Avery, don't you worry now. Daddy's here." I heard Daddy's voice say as he held me in a loving embrace._

_I threw my arms around his neck. "Daddy they're dead! They're all dead because of me! You have to let me go before you die!" I screamed squirming in his arms._

"_Nonsense, c'mon we're getting you out of here." He said running out of the building._

_And, just like many others, he was shot. I sat and cried over him as a shadow loomed over me._

_I looked back and sniffed to see Jenna staring down at me; carrying a pistol. The one that had killed my friends and family. She just stared at me for a moment; grinning seductively and reached out towards me._

_Was this the wrong, Jenna? Maybe a different one. I grinned and raised my hand towards her; maybe she'd help me now._

_I was wrong and stupid; Jenna's comforting smile faded and was replaced with her harsh and cruel glare as she yanked me away from him._

As that nightmare faded, I quickly moved to another.

_I was sitting in the backseat, arms tied and eyes blinded. When she first took me. I tugged against the ropes and looked up. This time it was only Jenna. I felt two hands reach up to my face and remove the blind fold from my eyes. As I tried to regain focus on the pitch black night, I looked over to see who could have possibly done so._

_I smiled as I looked at Kyle's kind face and he reached out and took my hand. I missed him so much._

_Jenna then pulled over and raced across to my door._

_My eyes widened and I gripped onto Kyle's hand so tightly that he winced in pain._

"_Kyle! Don't let her take me! Kyle, please!" I pleaded with him as I felt Jenna's arm on my elbow._

_He said nothing but turned his head and the last thing I knew I was thrown onto the sidewalk as Jenna aimed a pistol towards me._

_Tears streamed down my face and I screamed as she placed her finger on the trigger and squeezed._

"Avery? Avery! Wake up! Wake up, Avery!" Blake practically yelled at me as I screamed in my car seat.

He shook me and tried everything to wake me. As the nightmare faded, my eyes snapped open and I breathed heavily with wide eyes. I searched around, looking for Kyle and remembering that he actually wasn't here.

I jumped from my car seat and threw my arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, Blake." I said as I began to cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay, you're safe now, Aves." He said stroking my hair and lifted me from the car.

His girlfriend crossed over and placed a hand on his back lovingly with a smile. She looked over at me with the same comforting smile and placed a hand on mine.

Her hands were soft and gentle. I grinned half-heartedly at her as Blake carried me to wherever we were at.

"Avery, sweetie? I got a surprise for you." I heard Daddy's voice come from in front of me.

Blake sat me down on my feet and I immediately searched for his face. I beamed when I saw him standing, alone in front of two people.

The man had slightly shaggy ink black hair and bright blue eyes and the woman was short and thin with brown hair and matching brown eyes. It took me a moment to realize who they were.

"Auntie Melody!" I cried happily and ran to her. I was so glad to see that she was alive and well.

Melody smiled and stepped away from the ink-haired man's arm around her waist and wrapped me in her arms.

"I've you missed you so much, Auntie Melody." I said against her neck. I was glad she was still the same; I could still place my head under her chin and feel her warm neck and chest.

Melody smiled and rubbed my back. "You have no idea how much I missed you." She said holding me tight.

I didn't imagine how much I missed being held by her.

The ink-haired man looked over at us then at Daddy with a grin.

"She's a clone, mate. Looks exactly like her." He said with a strong Scottish accent.

Daddy smiled. "Yeah, exactly like her." He said smiling at me.

I wondered who they were talking about.

"How have you been coping?" The Scottish man asked with concern in his voice.

Daddy sighed. "It's been hard, but I have to remind myself that Anna would want me to be strong. Not just for me but for her Princess Avery." He said recalling the memory of Anna talking with Avery when she was just a month old.

The Scottish man smiled and didn't ask anymore questions; seeing the hurt on Daddy's face.

Anna; Momma. How did he know my Momma? Well, if he did, then he knew more about her than I did. He never spoke about her so I guessed that she didn't matter. Well, I didn't think she didn't matter. I wish I could remember her. They always say I'm a clone of her; talk and act just like her. They said she was so nice and always cared for others than herself. I was told by Blake once that they had met like that. My Daddy had hurt himself around the school he went to and my Momma found him and helped him. Blake said that the night she came home, he could tell she was different. She was silent and always smiling. Told their mother, my Grandma, that she was in love. Swerved and sang love songs at a low tune. I then grew depressed; did she ever think of me like that? Had she wanted me? Is that why she disappeared so quickly after I was born?

Melody picked me up in her arms and placed me on her hip. She looked down at me and grinned. "Since when are you growing up, little Miss? You've gotten heavy." She joked.

I giggled and poked her in the ribs.

The ink-haired man looked at Melody carrying me with wariness and tension well in his stance and eyes. Why was he so stressed? She was only carrying me.

"So, you said you wanted to tell us something?" Daddy asked ruffling my hair as I clung to Melody.

Melody looked over at the Scottish man and pointed at her bag lying beside her where she had left it when she picked me up.

"Can you get it for me, John?" She asked.

He leaned down and picked up something inside it. It was a decoratively folded piece of paper; a dark red bow was placed in the front and Daddy turned it horizontally to read the card. He looked up and arched an eyebrow at the two.

"Finally decided to settle down, huh MacTavish?" Daddy said with a smile.

I looked over at Melody and she was smiling. I was a little confused.

The man, John or MacTavish, smiled back. "Yeah, thought it was about time." He said placing a hand on Melody's lower back.

I arched an eyebrow. Why was this man touching _my_ Auntie Melody?

I didn't like it; I honestly always wanted Daddy to fall in love with Auntie Melody so she would really be part of the family and we'd be together happily and forever. I guess Kennedy was right; you can't decide you who you fall in love with, it's beyond our control.

Melody then glanced at MacTavish and he nodded so she looked at Daddy. "And we have some back-up news also." She said hesitantly.

There was a moment of silence. "Well, what is it?" Daddy pressed with a grin.

I smiled seeing him happy.

Melody smiled. "I'm pregnant." She said hesitantly.

Daddy's eyes were wide with shock. I looked back to see Blake and his girlfriend exchange a glance. Pregnant? I still wasn't quite sure what that meant even though I've heard it a lot.

"With a baby?" Daddy asked still surprised.

A baby? Is that what she meant! Melody was going to have a baby!

Melody and John chuckled. "No, with a gorilla; of course a baby!" She joked with a bright smile.

"You're going to have a baby, Auntie Melody?" I asked completely flabbergasted.

Melody looked down at me with a grin. "Yup. So, in a way, you're gonna have a new sibling to look after." She said encouragingly.

I just grinned half-heartedly and placed my head on her neck again.

"Well, congratulations you two." Daddy said shaking MacTavish's hand.

I looked over at the man. Melody was going to marry him and was fixing to have a baby with him and she hadn't introduced us before! I felt so left out.

"When's the wedding?" Daddy asked.

Melody glanced at MacTavish then at Daddy. "About two weeks." She said.

"That's fast. You two got everything ready?" He asked making sure they weren't rushing.

'Daddy, stop them! Now, she can't marry him! I'll never see my Auntie Melody again!' I begged in my thoughts.

"Yeah. I got the dress Becca and I picked out not too long ago and MacTavish's parents already set up a date and the place." Melody said reassuringly.

Daddy just smiled. "Good." He said.

Good? How in the world is this any good! I wanted to scream, kick my feet and throw a fit but I decided to hold it back as I looked up at Melody. Well, she seemed really happy. Before, she sometimes cried and was distant as she played with a ring I wasn't allowed to touch. Happiness filled her cheeks and left a rosy color and her eyes twinkled with joy; a lot better than the pale color of loneliness and the depressed glare in her eyes like before. Maybe it was for the best. Well, I still didn't like it.

"And, I was thinking that Avery could be one of my flower girls. If you want?" She said looking down at me.

I looked at her with an arched brow. "Me?" I asked pointing at my chest.

She smiled. "Yeah."

I was still deciding whether I wanted to or not as MacTavish spoke.

"It'd be really great to have you there, Simon. And, I kinda need a best man…" He said hesitantly as a grin pulled at his lips.

Daddy did the same thing as I had. "Me?" He said pointing at himself.

Melody chuckled at him.

"Yeah, if you will." He said with a grin.

"Of course, mate. I'd be honored to." He said shaking his hand again.

"I'll be the flower girl!" I sang loudly.

Maybe that will lead them to think I was happy about this.

Melody smiled and so did the others.

Good, it worked.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh, Avery! So what did you think of this, being told in Avery's POV? I had fun doing it because I imagined Avery like my little cousin, so it was like writing about family:) **

**Chapter Question: How will Avery respond to the whole thing and what about Melody and MacTavish? Will they stay warm, like three pairs of socks warm, or get cold feet?**

**Stay Tuned and Thank you soo much for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16:Baby Names, Plans and Dresses

Melody wore her usual cotton shorts and one of MacTavish's baggy T-shirt's as she stood in front of the body-length mirror in their bedroom. She was up because she felt that night's dinner announce itself. She hated that part of pregnancy. Her computer illuminated the dark room as MacTavish snored lightly on the bed. She didn't want to disturb him so she tilted the computer screen towards her direction and not so much in his face. She knew it wouldn't matter however she positioned it; he was still a heavy sleeper and wouldn't wake till morning.

She had been previously reading, before she had stood towards the mirror, something she had found on the internet. She had no idea what to expect and her mother was asleep at this time, along with everybody so she relied on technology once again. She had been reading an article about what to expect when expecting. It had a long list of weeks, four to forty-two. Just reading it made her nervous. She still wasn't used to the idea of a small human being renting her as her current home. But, from the picture given on the site on the baby's development, it did not look like a baby yet.

She stood there, just looking at herself; feeling her flat and hard stomach and thinking that in just a month or more it would start getting larger as the baby developed more. It honestly scared her. She was used to looking out for just herself and not juggling a life that wasn't even born yet. But don't get her wrong, she loved this developing human inside her and couldn't wait to see his or her face. She grinned softly thinking of her little 'Scotland'.

As she looked at the scars and marks across her arms and legs, she glanced back at MacTavish. He was still asleep so she turned back around and lifted her shirt slowly. She pulled it far enough where the edge of her bra peeked out but not enough to really notice. She placed both hands on her stomach and tried to imagine her child inside.

Her eyes flew open. Those words scared her. Not, terrified scared, but shocked scared. Her child. Their child. Melody's heart raced slightly and she placed her hands on her face.

"Calm down, Mel. Just calm down." She whispered to herself. She looked down at her left and right forearms, where 'Lier' was sketched in her left and 'Bitch' in her right. How could she explain that to her little child while she was holding him? What could she say to let him now that it was nothing? To MacTavish?

"Mells, are you alright?" She heard MacTavish's voice softly behind her.

Melody squeaked and spun around towards him, hand cupping her neck. MacTavish sat upright with his shirt off as he looked at her.

"You scared me." She said tucking a strand of hair away from her face.

He patted the spot beside him and she walked over and sat next to him. He laid her down and looked down at her. Melody arched an eyebrow at his strange behavior.

"Why were you looking at your arms like that?" He asked stroking her cheek.

Melody turned her head from him and looked at the image on the screen then back at him. "It was nothing, okay? I just noticed something on them." She said nervously rubbing her left arm.

MacTavish sighed and nodded his head. "Fine, but go back to sleep. I like to know you're sleeping at night." He said with a grin.

Melody grinned back and kissed him on the lips once as she laid her cheek against his chest, falling asleep some time later.

As Melody slept peacefully beside him, MacTavish took that time to take her left arm. He squinted his eyes to see the words and read them softly. "'Lier'." He whispered shocked. In complete curiosity he took the other arm and read 'Bitch' on her forearm.

The words unnerved him. She couldn't have possibly done them herself? He knew Melody wasn't the type to do so and they looked old. Even though he wanted to wake her up and demand where they had come from, he looked at her peaceful face and decided that now just wasn't the right time to be some detective.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead and tucked the blankets around her as he stood to turn off the computer.

He barely glanced at the image, but one glance caught him and distracted him. He saw the site she had pulled up and he cocked his head to the side at the image. He read the caption on the side of the picture. He glanced back at Melody, trying to imagine the small cell inside her like the one on the screen. He then grew more interested in what it had to say then rejoining Melody as she continued to peacefully sleep.

It wasn't until almost eight thirty in the morning that Melody woke and found MacTavish sleeping on the keyboard. She stretched and popped her sore muscles and stepped out of the bed and across the room to him. She stroked his cheek very softly with her fingers and he just brushed her off.

She rolled her eyes at him and tried to tickle his bare skin down his back. He just turned from her with an annoyed-sleeping face. She furrowed her eyebrows and turned the chair to face her. She slammed her palms down against his upper thighs, close to his crotch and blew his face. When he blinked his eyes a couple times, she grinned and kissed his nose.

He completely opened his eyes and jumped slightly seeing Melody's face so close to his. "Well good morning." He said placing a hand on her neck.

She smiled and spun from his touch. "Why were you sleeping at the desk? I don't bite." She said smiling a seductive-playful smile.

He grinned at her. "I got interested in this when I went to turn it off." He said pulling her closer to him.

Her grin faded softly as he raised a hesitant hand towards her. Melody searched his face for an emotion but only found uneasiness. She watched his eyes and hand as he slightly lifted the T-shirt and placed a cold hand on her lower stomach.

Melody couldn't help but smile. "You won't be able to feel anything right now. He's just… that." She said pointing at the circular image on the screen.

MacTavish didn't bother looking back or even at her face, but stared straight towards his hand. "I know." He said softly under his breath.

Melody grinned at him and wrapped an arm around his neck and sat on his lap. MacTavish continued to touch her stomach, occasionally moving it to a different position and thought.

After a moment of him touching her stomach Melody looked at him. "I was, uh, thinking last night before I fell asleep. I think I have the names picked out." She said trying to get his attention.

He looked up at her with a grin. "What have you got picked out?" He asked.

"I was thinking, if it was a girl, I would go back to the first suggestion I had three years ago. Jamie-Lynn Shay. I'm not too sure about Shay though. And if it's a boy, which I think it is, then I want to name him Beckham Jonathon. I know it doesn't exactly flow quite well, but I want him to have your name, first or middle." She said placing a hand on her stomach for a second.

He grinned at her. "They're perfect, Mells." He said.

"Good, because I didn't want to go completely out on the names or give them some kind of weirdass name like Gertrude or something. Like, I was looking at some old Scottish names last night on the computer and there was one, Ethel. I said 'There's no way on Earth that I'm giving my baby a name that sounds too close to asshole. But, I only liked it because it was Scottish and because you were Scottish of course. Which brings to thought, I wonder what the baby's voice will be like. Will he have a Scottish accent like you or an American accent like me? I really hope its Scottish 'cause can you imagine how wonderful it'll be to hear a little toddler speak in Scottish. It'd be like you talking but in baby form and American accent baby is too normal you hear it everywhere while a Scottish baby is new. I could teach him all sorts of words and-"Melody rushed on and on, taking in quick and small breaths as she rushed out her long paragraph.

She was interrupted by MacTavish crushing his lips down on hers. He and Melody stood there for a moment, kissing each other until Melody pulled back and looked at him with a crooked grin. "Too much?" She asked wrapping her arms around.

"Just a tad." He joked and kissed her once more.

Melody smiled at him then looked over at the time. "Aw shit! Is that the time?" She said then rushed from MacTavish and towards the closet.

"What's with you? Going to meet your other boyfriend or something?" He joked sitting on the bed with a teasing grin.

Melody threw her baggy T-shirt off her shoulders and playfully glared at him. "No. Becca scheduled a fitting for me today; for the dress." She said running her hand through her clothes on the hangers and picked out her old favorite maroon, long sleeved T-shirt and a pair a jeans. As she stood there, shirt draped over her arm, MacTavish stood up and stepped towards her. Placing his arms around her waist he pulled her closer to him.

"I love you, Melody." He whispered in her ear.

Melody grinned then turned in his arms. "I love you too, John." She said kissing him once more. "But, I've got to go." She said throwing the shirt on and putting on her jeans.

MacTavish just sighed and sat back on the bed as Melody ran back and forth getting ready. She grabbed her bag and then went into the kitchen. MacTavish followed her and watched her grab a medium bag full of dry cereal.

MacTavish arched a brow at the colorful oats and grains then looked at her.

"What? Cravings. Besides, they said on the site that this would help came the morning sickness down… I think." She said taking a handful in her palm and popped them into her mouth. "Besides, I love dry cereal. Who needs milk!" She said with a grin.

He rolled his eyes at her as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, took a drink from it, and then crossed back to MacTavish.

"Be back later." She quickly said giving him a peck on the lips.

MacTavish slightly waved to her as she sped out the door. He decided to take a shower since he still had no idea what he was going to do today.

* * *

><p>"Perfect! Still fits!" Becca said happily.<p>

Melody smiled at her then looked at herself in the mirror. She stroked the long, paper thin sleeves with glittering decals sewn in. She asked, check that, demanded that the dress has to have long sleeves. She didn't want to show her arms. Becca had seen this one and immediately fell in love with it saying that she always imagined it on Melody. Melody really didn't care about all this, wedding preparations and the dress. She just wanted to marry MacTavish and soon so all this stress could go away.

The lady walked off for a moment with Becca so Melody was left in the room. She looked at herself in the body-length mirror. She liked the dress; more than she thought she would. She liked the design and how it wasn't too flashy or "poofy" and girly. The material was smooth and pleasant to the eye and at her left hip there was a tuck and the skirt flowed down her legs. Around the breasts and arms, small white flowers and spirals were sewn in. She and Becca had already picked out the jewelry which wasn't much. Melody figured Becca would go behind her back and rob a jewelry store or something to get all the stuff she wanted. She jokingly thought she was just crazy enough to do it.

Her thoughts of Becca being a criminal were false as Becca came back in. Melody took off the dress and put her jeans and T-shirt back on.

"Melody, can I tell you something?" Becca asked.

"Of course, what it was it?" She asked taking a drink of her water.

"Would it sound, oh I don't know, 'clingy' if I named the baby after Michael? I mean, I myself have always loved the name before I even met him and now that I do it makes me want to name him Michael, more." Becca said.

Melody thought for a second. "No, of course not. But what if it's a girl?" She asked as they walked on the sidewalk of the parking lot.

Becca thought for a moment. She hadn't been thinking too much of names for girls. "Michaela." She said simply with a grin.

Melody just laughed at her friend.

"What about you? Any plans for the baby?" She asked.

"Yeah. Like I told John this morning, I want to go with Jamie-Lynn if it's a girl and Beckham Jonathon if it's a boy." She said repeating the names.

"Those are nice. Much more well-thought than mine." Becca said with a grin.

Melody just rolled her eyes. "They're perfect, okay?" She said with a grin.

"Okay!" Becca said with fake pep.

Melody just laughed at her and got into the car.

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><p><strong>AN: I know I just updated like an hour ago, but this is basically like an add-on to the previous chapter. That and because I'm trying to get the beginning of this slow start outta the way :) Hope you liked it and Have a nice day!:)**

***Review please (Any type of criticism will do)**


	17. Chapter 17: Maybe, I can live now

'What am I doing here? I've got a wedding in three days and I'm going to some woman's house when I don't even know her first name!' Melody thought tucking her hands away in her front jean pockets.

Melody had gone on a little mission for herself; to get her conscience completely clean before she married. She planned on meeting a lot of people.

Her hair was down and she wore her engagement ring on her left hand. She felt nauseous and hoped that she could make it without kneeling down to the porcelain god for ten minutes. She placed a hand on her stomach as if being her stomach to calm down.

As she grew closer to the door, she gripped her bag on her shoulder more securely which contained her bag of dried fruits and a bottle of water and the items she had to give the woman she was seeing.

She knocked on the door with pooling thoughts and a knotting stomach. She was still figuring out if it was morning sickness or nervousness as the door opened slowly.

Melody looked at the woman who answered the door. She looked about in her late twenties and was a little over five feet; her hair was short with tight curls and had marble-shaped, brown eyes. She looked young in features, but there was something in her features she used to make her look older. Pain and loneliness. She couldn't help but wonder if that's what she looked like when she lost them also.

"Um, Hi, Mrs. Blakely. My name is Melody Johnston. I came to give you some of your husband's things." She said with an encouraging grin then reached down into her bag.

"Keep it; I don't want what you have to offer." She said coldly and went to shut the door.

Melody quickly stuck her foot in the door and looked at the woman. "But, ma'am, these are his things. I was given these when he died." She said trying to encourage her to take them.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I've had so many people come to my door in the past trying to get information on the families of the men who died after seeing Makarov for the first time. You're just prying little leeches; each one of you try to bribe me and tell me they have something of my late husband's to give me. Now, get the hell off my property." She said trying to close the door again.

"But, ma'am please! I promise you that this is the real thing. Look around, take a good look. They're no camera men or men hiding in bushes. Just me, a friend and comrade of Shaun Blakely." Melody said looking around her.

Mrs. Blakely refused to say anything since she could clearly see there was no one around, but her heart ached so agonizingly hard that she had to let her curiosity get the better. "What do you have?" She asked refusing to look in her eyes.

Melody grinned. She took out a chain necklace, a small black journal, and a picture frame and looked at her. She nudged it towards her but she just glanced at it, desire full in her eyes but refusing to fall into a trap so easily.

Just then, a small boy with wild brown hair and big light brown eyes ran up to her, pleading with her.

"Momma, please take it! She's telling the truth! Don't you remember Daddy talking about a lady named Melody and the others in his letters! Please, Momma! I wanna know my Daddy!" He begged, British accent strong in his young wavering voice as his big light brown eyes stared into her cold brown eyes.

Melody stared at the boy in amazement. This boy before them was a spitting image of Lt. Shaun Blakely. There was no doubt about it that it was his young son. Everything about him screamed Shaun, the way his eyes grew wide when he begged, the thin lips and the dimple protruding on his left cheek when he opened his mouth widely. Everything, it was like he was cloned.

"Ma'am, I'm not trying to judge or anything, but I think you should at least let the boy know his father. What mother can deny his desire for knowledge? Please, Lt. Blakely was one of the kindest and bravest men I knew. He didn't deserve to die the way he had, but he has. I took me years to realize that. All I want to do is give the last memories I have clung to back to the rightful owners." She said stretching the items in her hand closer to her.

Mrs. Blakely just nodded twice and the boy ripped them from her hands. "Sorry, miss but I really wanna know my Daddy!" He said with a bright smile.

Melody couldn't help but beam right back as she saw Shaun in his small young, squared face. The little boy immediately looked at the picture on the frame. Melody had remembered looking at it so many times before. It was a picture of himself, the woman before him –but rosy cheeks and joy and happiness flooded her features- and a small bundle in Shaun's arms. She had never really seen the boy before as he grew older but she remembered hearing so much about him at night when Melody had no one to talk to. She didn't mind, she had liked to hear about other's joys at that time.

"Thank you so much, lady!" He beamed happily and ran back inside.

Melody smiled and nodded and looked back at Mrs. Blakely. "Since that's all that I had come for, I'll get out of your hair." She said grinning once more than turned to leave.

As she walked to the halfway point of the sidewalk, she heard Mrs. Blakely call out to her from the front porch, Melody then could see her full figure. She was so scrawny and looked like the wind would blow her away. She felt so sorry for her but knew there was nothing she could do. She had known that kind of pain so she knew that there were no words that could make her change. She just hoped that maybe some reassurance would help her slightly.

"Ms. Johnston!" She called out.

Melody looked back at her with arched eyebrows.

"Thank you." She said calmly and hesitantly.

Melody looked at her slightly pleased face and her forced grin. She nodded and grinned back before leaving.

Mrs. Blakely walked back inside to rejoin her young son as he kept his hungry eyes on the information before him.

Melody stepped in the car and sighed. The next one she was visiting she didn't want to visit, but knew she wouldn't have a clean conscience until she did.

* * *

><p>"Just knock on the door, how hard could it be?" She said quietly to herself as she stood in front of the two-story house. The house was a grey-brown and blue, gold and dark red flowers grew in flower beds in the front yard where a swing set was also placed. Melody was given the impression that the man had children now. She was surprised that he was able to even find someone to reproduce with him.<p>

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice. She waited for a while. She could hear a girl's loud giggle and a little boy's chuckles in the background and a woman calling towards them.

The door then opened and Melody saw a tall blonde woman with bright blue eyes and a kind smile. She wore a blue blouse and long jeans. Her hair was straight and lay on her shoulders and swayed to her elbows. There was no doubt that she was beautiful. She wasn't sure whether to be mad or happy that he found someone like this. Instead of his lifeless, distant victims so long ago.

"May I help you?" She asked drying a cup in her hand.

"Um, yeah. I'm looking for a Darren Shepherd? Does he live here?" She asked unsure; she thought that she must've got the wrong house.

"Of course, he's my husband." She said with a kind smile.

Melody tried not to gawk at the woman before her and nodded her head. "Can you tell him that Melody Johnston wants to speak with him?" She asked as the woman turned to get him.

"Sure thing!" She said happily.

As she disappeared behind a wall; Melody whispered to herself. "What the hell? Am I in some parallel universe or is this a dream?" She said.

After a moment of gawking and waiting, a tall man with brown hair and kind blue eyes walked towards her. She had forgotten how much he always stood over her, he seemed to have grown about two or three inches since they're last time together.

He grabbed her arm and slightly drug her outside to talk more privately.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded eyes furious and whole being tense and wary.

'Well, at least he didn't lose that Shepherd charm'. She thought sarcastically.

"I'm getting married soon." She said first.

"Well, congratulations, now can you leave? I just got my life together and I'm not losing it because someone from my past decided to come knocking!" He said coldly.

Melody suppressed the urge to slap him and balled her fists. "I came here to forgive you, Darren. I'm tired of swimming in pain of what you did that night. I don't want my future husband to suffer because I can't forgive you and let you go." She said staring up into his blue eyes; the eyes that had haunted her forever.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Forgive me? How could you or anyone forgive me?" He asked clearly confused that someone would even consider the idea.

Melody arched a brow. This was strange of him; the Darren she knew would've just laughed in her face and told her how stupid she was. This one was different; strange.

"I can and I will. So can we just get this over with so we can both get back to our lives?" She said crossing her arms.

Darren just stared at her for a second then said. "Melody, I'm sorry for raping you so many years ago. I was angry with my father all the time at that age, so I thought that if I could hurt you and control you, maybe I could've lead you into a lonely and painful life with me; so you could feel the pain of jealousy I endured with. I wanted to be that super soldier that he would brag to everyone he met like he did with you. He didn't talk to me ever since I was about thirteen when I said I wanted to be an architect instead of train. I'm sorry for taking my pain on you." He said looking down into her eyes.

Melody arched an eyebrow. "You didn't have to say that. I wasn't looking for an apology." She said nervously.

Darren smirked at her; this time with innocent amusement instead of sick amusement. "I wanted to, Melody." He said.

Melody nodded and looked at him. "Well, I forgive you. I've chosen to let the past stay in the past and I don't want my John to be stuck with my sorry and distant ass." She said with a grin.

He chuckled half-heartedly at her.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, I should get going. I was supposed to be home like two hours ago." She said jamming her thumb back at her car.

Darren smiled. "Fiancée' got you on a curfew?

Melody smiled back. "Tell me about it." She said then turned to leave.

Melody felt a déjà vu moment as she heard Darren's voice behind her.

"Good-bye Melody." He said softly.

Melody turned and looked at him with a stern face. "Good-bye Darren." She said.

They stared at each for a moment then Melody finally turned and left for good. She couldn't help but feel something weird in her chest. She felt her past lifted from her and gone forever. She honestly wished slightly that she could see Darren again, maybe get things right instead of that simple apology, but she knew she couldn't or shouldn't. It was too dangerous to let anyone new in right now. It was dangerous right now for her young baby. Melody turned on the radio and turned it up to highest volume possible until she couldn't hear her own thoughts that screamed at her. She just wanted to go home and get scolded at by MacTavish. She wanted to get back to the present and keep away from the past that always made her feel so lonely and depressed. Only so, because that's how she had felt her whole life before meeting the guys and Mallory. She sighed when painful memories flooded her mind and this time, she decided to just let them play out. Maybe letting them play would be a step to removing them from her skull now.

"Good-bye, Mallory. Steven. Shaun. Ronan. Darren." She said quietly to herself as she moved on from each memory. Melody felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she realized what this meant for her. She was finally moving on; all it took was just one decade.

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><p><strong>AN: I know, another update! It's the weekend and I'm bored! What can I say? Lol.**

**I guess I really don't have a chapter question so you're stuck with your own thoughts!**

**Have a wonderful day and review please:)**


	18. Chapter 18: I told ya so

"Melody where the hell were you?" MacTavish immediately demanded as she walked in and tossed her bag on the armchair with a calm expression.

"Out." She said walking into the kitchen, past MacTavish, and restocked on frozen strawberries. As she bit into one, she began murmur something low under her breath where MacTavish couldn't hear.

"You scared the shit outta me, Mells." She whispered staring towards the sink then counted in her head as MacTavish then spoke.

"You scared the shit outta me, Mells." MacTavish then said.

Melody smiled and turned to him. "I knew you were going to say that." She said with a grin and bit into her strawberry.

MacTavish wanted to be mad at her, but he just grinned and stepped towards her. "You just can't do that to me and not tell me. What'd you do?" He asked taking on of the strawberries from her bag and bit into it.

"Hey, those are mine! And, I just went around, got my daily exercise." She said calmly and glared at him playfully as he ate the strawberry.

He smiled at her and bit into it slowly. "Delicious." He teased wiping some juice off his lip.

Melody just wrinkled her nose at him and stuck out her tongue. "Well, good thing is the dress fits like a glove. I hope I don't grow any in three days." She said touching her stomach.

He rolled her eyes at her. "You're going to be fine, okay? And, oh yeah, Simon called. Said that Avery was happy about the decision so they both accepted." He said sitting on the bar beside her.

"Good, that's two things to scratch off the list. So, we've got the place, the time, the decorations, got the bridesmaids dresses and the flower girl dresses, thank God Becca convinced me to get that extra one for Avery, and now all we have to do is ask Diamond if she's coming." Melody said counting them off on her fingers.

"Well of course she's coming Mells. But, we should warn her." He said hopping off the bar and looked down at her.

"What is it? Don't mess with a pregnant woman, John. Our hormones are outta whack and we will kill!" She said warily and pointed a finger at him.

"It's nothing. Just warn her that she'll have to wear a dress." He said jokingly.

"Oh." She said and stepped away from him and towards the living. She leaned against the back of the armchair and looked at MacTavish with a thoughtful face. "I've never seen her in a dress." She whispered with a grin.

MacTavish grinned. "Me neither, she might hate it." He said leaning against the counter.

"Becca wouldn't care. She probably strip her and dress her herself if Diamond refused. She's that insane." Melody said with a grin.

"I think Diamond would try and kick her ass if she tried." MacTavish grinned thinking of his old friend.

Melody smiled. "She couldn't hit someone carrying a child. That's why we're lucky. Minus the fact we're carrying life and stuff, we're untouchable, bitch!" She said playfully.

MacTavish arched an eyebrow mischievously. "Oh really? So, what would happen if I did… this?" He said slowly walking towards her then reached out quickly and pinched her side.

"Ow!" Melody yelled with a grin.

MacTavish continued to poke at her and she backed away from him, trying to escape.

"Stop you Scottish bastard!" Melody squealed as MacTavish stepped out and took her in his arms.

MacTavish just smiled brightly as he spun Melody around in his arms. He chuckled as he heard Melody's insane laughing from his arms.

"If this makes me throw up I'm aiming towards you!" She threatened between her laughs.

MacTavish then took her in a steady stance and softly let her plop down on the couch. Melody smiled at him and held her head.

"You're such a jerk!" She said playfully.

He smiled and leaned towards her. "Yeah, well that's why you love me." He teased kissing her lips once.

She arched a brow. "Maybe, let me check after I'm pregnant. Cause right now, to me, you can be a total dick!" She said with a chuckle.

He just laughed at her words. "Well, you're a whiny little bitch!" He said with a fake harsh tone.

"Bastard." She murmured with a grin.

MacTavish grinned then heard Melody's stomach growl in their silence.

"Well, time to feed Mommy." He said grabbing her waist and helping her up.

"I'm pregnant not disabled. I don't even have a stomach! I can stand on my own." She said walking calmly towards the kitchen and sat at the bar, thinking over what she was in the mood for.

"I know." He said with a smile and walked into the kitchen, leaning on the bar she was sitting at. "So, what are you in the mood for?" He asked looking at her folded hands and the ring on her finger with a grin.

Just then, Melody turned her thoughtful look on him and with a bright smile she answered. "Supreme pizza." She said.

He furrowed his eyebrows in shock and confusion. "You hate supreme." He said arching a brow at her. "And besides, you're not supposed to be eating a lot of junk food, Mells." He said rubbing off the subject.

She glared at him with a grin. "I know I usually hate it but I want some now. Plus, both the doctor and the site said it's alright to give into my cravings every once in a while. Now is one of those times." She said with a grin.

He sighed. "Fine, but if you throw up you can't say I didn't warn you." He said grabbing the phone.

She smiled in victory. "Consider me warned, Cap'n." She said with a fake salute.

He rolled her eyes at her and began to speak to the woman on the other end.

After an hour, Melody had devoured one slice and was working on her second when she started to stare at the slice in her plate.

MacTavish chewed, looking at her with an arched brow. He knew what she was thinking and what was going to happen.

As Melody bolted off the bar stool he sat there for a moment then walked into the bathroom as she tried to hold back her hair as she vomited into the toilet.

He sighed and sat beside her though she waved him and held her hair back in his hands, slightly stroking her neck with his cool fingers to calm her down some.

When she knew her stomach was empty, she stood up, flushed it and went to brush her teeth.

As she spit into the sink, she looked over at MacTavish who had a smug grin on his lips.

"What?" She asked splashing water on her face.

He grinned a little wider. "I told ya so." He joked.

She groaned slightly and rolled her eyes. "You're a jerk." She said with a smile.

"I know." He said with a smile.

* * *

><p>The next night, Melody sat on the couch eating a bowl of mixed fruit slices when she heard a knock on the door.<p>

She sat the bowl down on the side table and turned the volume down on the T.V. and walked towards the door, opening it.

"Heya, Melody." She saw Dunn's bright face behind the door.

She smiled and looked at the fairly large group of men outside her door. "Should I be happy or nervous that there's so many guys outside my door right now?" She joked looking at Dunn, Foley, Ramirez, Frost, Simon, and Price.

"Just tell MacTavish he's being kidnapped. We've planned a bachelor party in the small time." Dunn said with a grin.

Melody arched her eyebrows with a grin. "Like, a real bachelor party?" She questioned.

Dunn looked back at the guys then at her with a crooked grin. "Of course." He said.

"Okay, just no bringing him home drunk like last time. And no strippers!" Melody said turning and pointed a finger at them.

"No promises!" Dunn teased calling towards her as she walked into the bedroom.

MacTavish had passed out after a day or roaming around town and Melody almost felt bad for waking him up. She looked down at him with her arms crossed and a loving smile.

"Aw, he looks so sweet." She said quietly to herself looking at his closed eyes and his soft snore.

When a loud snore escaped his mouth she rolled her eyes with a giggle. "Okay, too much sweetness." She said crawling on the bed and shook his shoulder.

He just grunted and turned from her.

She furrowed her eyebrows and crawled on top of him; she whispered in his face and tapped his nose.

"Time to wake, Johnny." She said with a grin.

He just turned the opposite from her again. The same motion made her hand become stuck under his waist and she turned and toppled off the bed and onto the floor. She hit the carpet with a thud and stood up; fists on hips and turned towards him.

She looked at his face and smacked his forehead hard enough to wake him up, startled.

"What the bloody hell?" He demanded rubbing his forehead.

"That's for knocking me off the bed and the guys are here. You got strippers to meet, boy." She said with a grin and crossed her arms again.

He arched an eyebrow and looked at the bed, trying to remember when Melody had crawled into bed with him but when he came up short of answers he looked at her. "What are you talking about?" He asked half awake.

"The guys, they want to throw you a bachelor party. C'mon, go have fun! You've been asleep for eight hours!" She said throwing a new T-shirt at him.

He arched a brow. "What about you? I can't leave you by yourself." He said looking at her as she walked around the room gathering clothes in her arms.

She looked at him with a smile. "We'll be fine, don't worry. Besides, I've been caught in the midst of what you call fun." She said placing a hand on her stomach.

He chuckled at her. "Oh yeah." He said getting out of bed.

She handed him a grey-blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "There, now change fast. They're waiting on you." She said kissing him quick then walked out of his room.

When he was fully dressed and cleaned up some, he walked out of his room and towards the living room where Melody was laughing with some of the guys.

As they saw him walk out, Dunn and Ramirez let out a chorus of laughter and ran over to MacTavish. They drug him out of the apartment and Frost followed after them with a grin.

Melody rolled her eyes at them. "They're so immature when it comes to booze and women." She joked crossing her arms.

Price scoffed. "Don't worry, Melody. We'll have him back in time tomorrow. You be careful, okay?" He said with a grin.

"Thanks and I will. Like I told John, I'll be fine. Just me and little Beckham here." She said patting her stomach lovingly.

He grinned then arched a brow curiously."Beckham?" He questioned.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's gonna be his name." She said with a loving grin.

"How do you know it's a boy?" He asked.

She just shrugged her shoulders. "Mother's intuition." She said with a grin.

He nodded remembering his own wife at home, Rachel, and how she had repeatedly told Price so long ago that their baby was a girl no matter how many times people told her it was a boy. He smiled thinking of her and nodded a good-bye to Melody.

Melody waved at them from outside the door and shivered slightly in the cold. She and MacTavish shared a look as Melody turned and returned to her bowl of fruit and T.V.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So Melody, you think it's a boy, huh? What if you're wrong? :) Wedding chapter(s) coming soon. Thanks for reading and Stay tuned!(:**


	19. 19: The Wedding Part: 1

"I'm getting married and I'm pregnant… I'm getting married early because I'm pregnant. Oh my God, I'm a slut!" Melody cursed herself slamming her face into her hands.

She sat at a dresser inside an extra room at the church they had decided to get married in. She just wore her silk bath robe that went down to her knees and her hair was already made and her make up ready. Becca had gone "all-out" on her that morning and Melody's hair was braided and pinned back to a lazy bun. She left some hairs to be curled and placed them on her temple. Melody joked saying she created a hole in the ozone layer with all the hairspray she used on her hair. Melody had clearly told Becca she didn't want three pounds of make-up on her face; just enough to cover the scars. Becca said she promised, but as Melody looked at herself she saw three different shades on her eyelids and eyeliner and mascara; she could almost feel the cover-up on her face and the lip liner annoyed her. She hated the blood red color she had chosen for her lipstick. But, looking at herself now, Becca had done it. Melody looked nothing like her current state.

"I got 'em! Took forever and nearly had a panic attack but I have them! Melody! Don't do that, you'll smear your make-up!" Becca said happily prancing in, stroking the ivory box in her hand then shrieked in terror as she saw Melody holding her face.

"Sorry, Becca. I was just thinking." She said wiping off the slight cover-up on her fingers.

"Hey, I told you weren't allowed to do that today! It's a curse when you think Melody." She joked.

Melody scoffed as Becca opened the box in her hands and revealed four small, white opened lilies. She furrowed her eyebrows at them because she hadn't remembered buying or even seeing those before.

"I got them the other day. They matched your jewelry and dress perfectly! Now, sit still so I can get this in the right place." She said smiling wildly at the precious jewelry.

Melody grinned at her as she picked up one from the box and held it between her fingers with precision. It took a while before she had decided on her place and carefully tucked the flower between Melody's brown locks on the side of her head. She repeated the same motion until she finally had two lilies carefully placed in her hair.

Becca stepped back and admired her work. She made a proud frown and pretended to high-five herself. "Not too shabby if I say so myself." She said mostly to herself.

Melody grinned but her grin was interrupted when a long and wide yawn escaped her lips. She jumped as Becca slammed her hands on the dresser beside her slightly angry.

"What did I say about beauty rest! I told you to go straight to bed last night after one more fitting!" She said crossing her arms across her chest.

Melody shrugged remembering the nightmare she had before.

"C'mon Rebecca, cut her some slack. She's probably just stressed with all these new hormones now." She heard her mother's voice come behind her.

Melody spun around to see her mother in a salmon pink dress that flowed down to her knee and her hair was curled down her back. There wasn't much to curl and she wondered if Becca had done her hair also. It seemed like one of Becca's originals. Melody couldn't help but notice that she wore less make-up then she did.

"Becca, don't you think that might be a little too much make-up? I'm not criticizing, she looks beautiful, but I can see the cover-up from outside the hall." She said looking closer at Melody's face.

Melody turned to Becca with a smug grin. "Told ya it was too much." She said holding her nose up at her.

Becca just stuck her tongue out at her and took a wet napkin.

"Has anyone checked on MacTavish?" Melody then asked looking over at Melanie.

"Yeah, his parents and some of the guys are with him. And, by the way, you have got to start calling him John. You're going to be MacTavish in just a couple hours, Melody." She said happily smiling.

Melody drooped her shoulders as she saw her mother's eyes well up. "Mom, why are you crying?" She asked with a grin.

"Sorry, I can't help it. To be completely honest, I had doubts you would've married." She said carefully wiping her face with a tissue. "No offense." She added happily.

Melody just grinned at her mother. "None taken."

"Everyone decent?" She then heard a familiar voice and saw a familiar face as she popped in hanging over the door.

"Diamond? You made it!"Melody said happily looking at the woman.

"Well, you're fixing to be my adopted sister-in-law and my "brother" is getting married. Of course, I'm here!" She said throwing her hands up with a grin.

Melody eye's then grew wide as she saw Diamond in a light blue dress and black high heels. Diamond had always worn slight make-up but now she wore more than Melody had seen her in. Her hair was also nicely done.

She arched a brow. "Did Becca get a hold of you?" Melody asked.

Diamond just chuckled. "Yes. Gave me the clothes and everything." She said gesturing to the dress.

Melody just grinned. "Wow, you look like a woman." She said in amazement.

She just waved a hand at her. "Yeah, yeah. I got enough of that from Soap a minute ago." She said with a grin.

"How is he?" Melody immediately asked.

"He's alright. Just a little worried and all, but his mom said it was just pre-wed jitters. They'll wear off once he sees you." She said encouragingly.

"How's the baby, Mells?" Becca asked then seeing her furrowed eyebrows.

Melody placed a hand to her stomach even though she knew she couldn't feel him. "Good, I think. I didn't throw up this morning so I'm a little happy about that." She said looking at her then glancing at her mother.

"You've been eating like we said, right?" Melanie asked arching an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Yes, if it helps the baby then I've done it." Melody said with a weak grin.

Melanie nodded once approvingly. There was a moment of silence between the women as Becca carefully placed the matching lily earrings to Melody's ear lobes. Everything seemed ready for the dress when they heard a knock on the door.

Melody looked over to see her father in the doorway, holding a small blue box. His blonde graying hair was combed nicely and he wore a black tuxedo. Melody smiled at he walked forward.

"I came bearing gifts." He said gesturing towards the box.

"Hey, Dad."Melody said with a smile.

He returned her smile and stood beside Melanie.

"We, uh, brought something for you." Melanie said happily taking the box from her husband's hand.

Melody then sat up straight as she stepped towards her and opened the box. Carefully placed on the thin, rectangular cloth rested a clean, diamond necklace.

"It was my grandmother's. Her husband had bought it for her as an engagement present. After that, she gave it to her oldest daughter, my mother and when I married Ben; my mother gave it to me. I would've given it to Krista but she eloped before I could even get it from my dresser. So now, I suppose we continue out this tradition with Ben and me giving it to you." She explained holding it carefully in her hands.

Melody gawked at it with a bright smile.

"Consider our 'something old' present. Well, besides me and your mother." He joked looking at her and Melanie.

Melanie arched an eyebrow and lightly elbowed him in the ribs. He just chuckled down at her.

"In case you don't mind, I got you something new. I saw it and thought of you." Diamond then asked before Melanie placed the necklace on her neck.

Melody looked over at Diamond with a grin and encouraged her over. Diamond then handed her the bag.

As Melody opened it, she reached down as saw two plates engraved delicately with two separate names.

"I thought you'd might like it. Since I missed the baby shower, sorry again about that." She said quickly as Melody looked at the names on the small wooden plaques.

Melody smiled as she looked at the names. One was pink and 'Jamie-Lynn was engraved carefully in calligraphy and the other was blue and had 'Beckham' engraved in bold. She looked up at Diamond with a smile.

"I would've just gotten one, but I still think it's a boy. So, just to be safe, I got both. MacTavish told me the names you had picked out." She explained with a grin. She paused before adding more to her sentence. "Do you like them?" She asked unsure looking at Melody's face.

Melody then laughed uncontrollably. "Of course, yes. They're perfect, actually. Thank you, Diamond." She said happily.

Diamond grinned relieved. "Good. I was a little worried if baby gifts were exactly the best wedding gift." She joked with a grin.

"And, I got something borrowed." They heard another voice appear from the door.

Melody smiled wildly as she saw the familiar face. Margaret's blonde hair had grown longer since Melody last seen her and was pulled into a loose bun. She wore a red dress and diamond earrings. At her waist was a small girl with curled blonde hair and wore a light green dress with white dress shoes.

"Margaret, oh my God!" Melody said happily stepping over and hugging her neck.

"Hello, Melody." She said happily patting her back with one hand.

"I'm glad you got the invite. I was honestly kind of hesitant in sending it a week or so ago." Melody said with a smile.

"Well, I got it and I'm here. Now, open it." She said handing the box.

Melody smiled and opened the lid. She immediately smiled and chuckled as she picked up a white paper flower. "The flower I made you for mother's day when I was a kid. You still kept after all these years?" She asked holding it between her fingers with a smile.

"Of course. You were like my daughter then and now. I thought you'd might like it. I borrowed it from Ben. Well, he doesn't know I borrowed it but I did." She joked glancing at the man.

"It's perfect, thank you." Melody said smiling at her.

"You're welcome, kiddo." She said touching her cheek.

"Well, I think we should get Melody changed. We only have about an hour or a little over." Melanie cleared her throat and said as Margaret gathered her stuff and smiled.

"Right, good luck sweetie and congratulations." She said with a smile then disappeared.

Melody looked over to notice that Diamond had already disappeared but left the bag. She furrowed her eyebrows but let it go.

"Uh, Melody." She then heard Ben's voice.

She turned to him and looked at his face. He looked somewhere between nervousness and happiness. She thought it was a nice change; happiness that is. "Yeah, Dad?" She asked.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He tried two or three times but stuttered on the words. "You look beautiful." He finally said after multiple stuttered attempts.

Melody smiled and stepped towards him. "Thanks Dad, you look wonderful too. Is that aftershave I detect?" She said with a smile.

He chuckled. "Yeah, thought this was the right occasion to wear it." He joked.

Melody smiled then wrapped her arms around his back. There was an awkward tension in the room as Melanie and Becca watched Melody hug her father. Benjamin was equally shocked then slowly and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight to his chest.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're here, Dad." She murmured against his chest.

He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I know, kid." He simply said hugging her once more before Becca broke their embrace.

"Hey, I really hate to butt in, but we have to get Melody in the dress now." Becca said apologizing looking between Ben and Melody's faces.

"Of course." He said stepping away from her as Becca drug Melody to the closet.

"Stay with me, please." Melody begged looking at Melanie and Ben before Becca fully had her in the closet.

"Always." Melanie said with a smile.

Melody smiled and rolled her eyes as Becca forced her towards the dress.

Ben stepped over towards Melanie and wrapped an arm around her waist. Melanie looked up at him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so happy for her." Melanie said looking at the closet then up at her husband.

"Me too, she deserves this after all I made her go through." He said with a guilty tone thinking of all the horrible things she had been through over the years and her horrible Military memories that he had forced her into also.

"You raised her right, Ben. Maybe not in the best way, but about teaching her defense. I think it helped her to not break down and crumble when the bad things happened. That'll I'll give you." Melanie said looking up at him.

He smiled at her.

"Grandma, grandma!" They then heard a loud and excited voice come bounding through the door.

The two looked over to see Viktoria in a very short sleeved brown dress with a light brown ribbon that went across her waist and back and at the right hip was tied with a reddish-brown flower and a the rest of the long ribbon rested on her leg. The sleeves reached an inch past her shoulder and two extra straps were placed on both collar bones to help keep the dress up. The skirt was tucked in tassels all away around. Viktoria wore silver dress shoes and her short blonde hair was curled and placed into a loose bun with her curls that hung over. Two curly strands rested on either side of her temples.

"Hello, Viky." She said smiling at her oldest granddaughter.

"Look at my dress! Idn't pretty!" She said twirling to give them both a full view of the dress.

Melanie smiled. "Yes, very beautiful." She said assuring the girl of what she thought.

"What about you, grandpa? Do you like it?" She asked him with a grin. She wanted both views on the dress that she loved so much.

He was slightly surprised she had asked him. "Yes, it looks wonderful, Viktoria." He said with a smile.

"I know right!" She said happily and bounced.

"Careful, Viktoria. I don't want you ripping the dress." Her mother advised carrying in Jazmine and Avery followed shyly a step behind her.

Avery's dress was just like Viktoria's and her straight, long auburn hair was simply pulled back with a twinkling hair clasp on the back of her head. Some straight strands cupped her cheek. A small tiara was placed on the crown of her head adding some "bling" to her hair and looks. She wore a silver charm bracelet on her left wrist and white small high heeled shoes. Not too much of a heel though.

"C'mon, Avery! Come sit by me." Viktoria invited her over and patted the sit beside her as she sat down near the corner waiting for her Aunt Melody.

Avery smiled, hopeful that she might have a new friend to talk with instead of sitting in silence. "Okay." She said and ran over carefully towards her.

"Whew, they've been so hyper today! I could barely keep them still while changing." Krista said placing Jazmine down on her feet.

"Krista! You look amazing." Melanie said looking at her daughter with a beaming smile.

Krista looked down at her satin, floor length brown bridesmaid dress. The dress was sleeveless and a light brown sash lined the bottom and top of her waist line with light brown flowers on her right side. Her hair was fixed into elegant waves down her back and she wore make-up. It was clear Becca hadn't done her make-up because it was simple, eye shadow, eyeliner, blush and lipstick. Melody would probably be jealous of the simple make-up instead of the "glamorous" type she had on.

"Oh, well, thanks. The only worry is not tripping and falling on my face." She joked.

"Gama." Jazmine said tugging lightly on Melanie's skirt.

"Yes, Jazzy?" She said looking down at her with a smile.

She spread her arms to show her dress to her with a toothy smile. She wore a short sleeved, brown chiffon dress with an a-line skirt. A large dark brown sash wrapped around her back and waist with a large dark brown flower on her right side. It wasn't as fancy, she was only about two and Krista didn't want her to tear something too fancy, neither did she want her to tear this one. Her short blonde hair was curled as much as possible and a white flowered crown was placed securely on the top of her head.

"You look so pretty, Jazzy!" She said tickling her stomach.

Jazzy giggled and waved shyly at Ben before running over to her sister and Avery who were chatting excitedly to each in the corner. Jazmine crawled up beside Avery and smiled at her.

"Where's Jessica at? You know, John's sister?" Krista asked brushing back her hair.

"I think she's with John. Along with her fiancée and her parents." Melanie said remembering passing her before coming in the room.

"Oh." She said.

There was a silence in the room until Becca came out, matching brown bridesmaid dress like Krista's and clapped her hands happily.

"MacTavish won't even recognize her when she walks down the aisle! C'mon, Melody!" She said encouraging her to come out and waved at her.

Melody's voice could be heard from the closet. "I look like a bloated snow beast. I'm not walking out there in front of everyone. I want my jeans back!" She said stubbornly.

Becca rolled her eyes. "Melody, you stubborn little-"She said quietly but stopped looking over at the three young girls in the corner and quit her sentence right there. She stepped inside the closet again and drug Melody out.

Melanie gasped seeing her oldest daughter in her dress and newly refreshed make-up.

"Auntie Melody!" Avery gasped with a bright smile.

Viktoria whispered something to Avery happily and Jazmine just looked around confused, not quite sure what made everyone so silent and smiling. She just decided to smile along as she saw her Aunt appear from the closet doors.

Melody smiled at her and turned to her mother and father. She noticed tears on Melanie's cheek and her father's speechless face.

"How do I look?" She asked trying to hold back sudden tears. She hated being so emotional. She was now glad that Becca had used waterproof mascara.

"Absolutely beautiful! Oh, Melody I'm so proud of you!" Melanie said stepping over and hugging her tightly.

"Oh, mom!" Melody said laughing happily.

"Oh, God. Sorry! Ben, grab the necklace. We have one more thing to complete the dress." She said happily.

Ben smiled and grabbed the necklace box.

Melanie smiled and took the necklace in her hands. Melody picked up her skirt and turned so she could place it on her neck. As she snapped the clasp shut, Melody turned back over.

"It's perfect." Melanie stroking her daughter's check.

"Thanks, Mom." Melody murmured.

"C'mon everybody, we should go make sure things are step up. Maybe give Melody some breathing room before she throws up on us." Becca joked stepping towards the door.

"Eww." Came a chorus from Avery and Viktoria and an unsure giggle from Jazmine.

Soon, the room was cleared where Melody stood by herself, facing herself in the floor mirror. She smiled seeing herself and thought of MacTavish. Oh how she wished Becca wouldn't stick to old traditions and let her see him. She hadn't seen him since he came home last night, completely sober. Becca had drug her out of the apartment nearly a hour or two after he got home; claiming that it was something like a slumber party and so she wouldn't have to drag her out of bed the next morning for this day.

She sighed and reached over and grabbed the paper flower from the dresser and placed it carefully beside a blood red rose and an ivory baby breath.

She looked back up at the mirror with a forced smile. "Let's get me married." She encouraged herself.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure she's alright?" MacTavish pressed looking at Diamond.<p>

"Didn't I just say yes? She's fine, bro. Everything's fine. Look, you're messing your hair up too." She said looking up at his trimmed ink black hair.

"Jonathan!" His mother, Jamie, said a little aggravated. She stepped over and started messing with it again.

"Just calm down, mate. Like Diamond here said, everything's fine." Simon said looking at him with a grin.

Jessica nodded and sat down by her brother. "Look, I gotta go. But you calm the hell down. I have a really good feeling Melody is more calm than you are right now." She said patting her brother's shoulder than stood up.

"But, Diamond said that she kept saying she was going to throw up! I can't even make sure she's alright because of Becca." He said slightly annoyed.

Dunn smiled. "Why do you think I'm stuck in here?" He joked. "Look, from what I heard from Becca a second ago outside, Melody's fine. She looks absolutely gorgeous in her dress and that you won't recognize her. She's perfectly calm now and right now they're just trying to make sure everything's ready and set up." He reassured him.

MacTavish nodded but not completely assured.

"Son, you need to brave up. If everyone's saying she's fine then she's fine. I know you love her and won't be assured until you've seen her, but you gotta calm down. Melody wouldn't want to see you a wreck if she's been worrying. How much confidence is she supposed to have if her future husband is breaking down?" David said sitting by him.

MacTavish looked over at him. "Were you this nervous?" He asked folding his hands on his lap.

David smiled. "My father had throw water at me just to cool me down. I won't do that to you since you're already in your tux, but don't be thinking I won't do something to make you calm down." He joked and patted his back.

MacTavish nodded with a smirk. "Okay." He said simply.

"C'mon, c'mon! You have to come take your places!" Becca said knocking then rushed into the room.

"Well, let's go get you married before I do something." David said with a grunt as he stood.

MacTavish just smiled and stood also as everyone began to leave the room.

* * *

><p>Melody's stomach tied in knots as she saw Avery, Viktoria, and Jazmine lined in front and began walking as the slow, piano music began to play. She dug her nails into Ben's arm and tried to calm her breathing.<p>

As the others began to walk down, Ben leaned down to Melody's ear.

"Everything's okay. In a second you'll be walking down the aisle to John. Then, you're married in a matter of minutes since you said you wanted it short." He reassured her.

Melody nodded and took in a deep breath as the wedding march began to play softly.

"Don't let me go, Dad." She whispered, referring to her nervousness and fears of tripping in the gown and high heels.

Ben looked down at her with a loving smile, Melody at him. "Never." He said as they heard the shuffle of people standing.

Her heart raced in her rib cage as she looked forward; seeing MacTavish stand there with a smile on his face. She looked straight at him and smiled.

"I don't feel so nauseous anymore." She whispered to Ben.

He smiled and they stepped forward, wedding march playing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You probably hate me sfor stopping there, huh? No, okay:P Sorry about all the description in dresses and what not. I was trying to get out that image I had of what everyone looked like. If you hate reading the description, then do what I do. Skip it! Lol, I'm a lazy reader and sometimes writer:)**

**Chapter Question: Will somebody vomit? Will Melody be able to stand on her own two feet and not pass out? Will everything go successful?**

**To be answered in the next chapter! Stay Tuned and Thank you all for reading! :)**


	20. Chapter 20: The Wedding Part 2

Breathe. Just breathe.' Melody thought as she gripped onto Ben's arm.

She grinned as she looked over at MacTavish's mother and father and her own mother in the front. Krista was holding Jazmine in her arms as Viktoria rocked on her heels. Viktoria tugged on Avery's arm as she spotted Melody. Avery looked at her and waved softly. Melody held back a laugh and smiled back at her. She looked over and saw Diamond in her dress, sitting some feet away from Melanie grinning at her then looked over at MacTavish and gave him a 'Told ya' look.

She could see all her family and MacTavish's on the side. She looked over at MacTavish's side and could see Price, Simon, Dunn, Foley, and Ramirez. She smiled at her old friends then finally settled her eyes on MacTavish.

Her heart skipped a beat seeing his loving smile. She had to smile back. At that moment, she wasn't nervous anymore. She knew that she wanted to marry John, always. But, at that moment, it seemed like she was surer than ever about this. She couldn't wait to be at his side.

They stopped in front of MacTavish and the others. She took a deep breath as Ben pried her fingers off his arm then kissed her forehead.

"Good luck, Mells." He whispered to her with a smile.

She beamed at him then took MacTavish's hand with her shaky hand.

After that, things just seemed to fly by as the short ceremony went by. Diamond gave them the rings –she had told them that she didn't want to be on the stage so she rejected Melody's offer of being a bridesmaid. So, they let her be their ring bearer since they didn't have a young boy to fill the part. Diamond was happy with this because she got to sit down, away from view.

Melody did everything to keep from crying as MacTavish repeated what the priest said and looked into her eyes. She still had trouble believing this was actually happening, but as she heard MacTavish's voice then the priest's she knew it was time for her part.

"I do." She said in a wavering voice and smiled.

Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach felt light as she held MacTavish's hand tightly in hers and he leaned down to kiss her lips. Melody wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with a smile protruding on her lips.

She could hear clapping in the background and Dunn and Simon whistling at them as MacTavish held her waist and dipped her.

She couldn't take it anymore and broke apart from his kiss and busted into a loud, joyful laughter. MacTavish smiled and looked down at her face, stroking her cheek as she whispered to him.

"We did it." She said with a wide smile as she looked into his icy blue eyes.

He smiled and kissed her lips once more.

Melody smiled as she heard the priest's words beside them. Mr. and Mrs. John MacTavish. She liked that, being a MacTavish.

After an hour, they had arrived at the place for the reception. MacTavish and Melody walked into the large room full of family and friends. Melody felt a déjà vu moment as she walked into the room and saw the bodies on the dance floor and the happy, smiling faces. She noticed Diamond in the midst of them and softly elbowed MacTavish in the ribs.

"Never thought she was a dancer." She said with a smile and pointed towards Diamond who was waving at them then went back to dancing.

MacTavish chuckled. "Me neither, she was usually clumsy." He said with a grin at his old friend.

"Auntie Melody!" Avery cried and ran towards the two.

Melody smiled and embraced the little girl. Simon walked up behind her, chasing the excited girl down.

"You looked so pretty, Melody! Everything was pretty! I can't wait to get married, now!" She said busting with happiness.

"Oh, yes you can. A very long time, actually." Simon said with a stern face.

Melody looked up at him and smiled. She felt another strong déjà vu moment as she saw Becca come running up towards her, grin plastered on her face.

"C'mon, we gotta get the dances in before you take off the dress!" She said rather loudly over the music.

Becca then grabbed Melody and MacTavish's wrists and drug them across the floor and towards the middle. She then ran over to the man controlling the music and laid a CD in front of him. She seemed as though she was arguing with him for a moment then bounded off the small stage with a victory smile.

As she stood beside Dunn and kissed his cheek, she glowed with anticipation and excitement. Melody could tell she couldn't wait to get married. She was telling Melody before that she keeps waiting for Dunn to ask, but he never does. Now, expecting a child, Becca now set her hopes on him asking after the baby is born.

Melody smiled at her then looked at MacTavish as she heard a familiar Melody begin to play as the lights darkened. Melody's eyes were wide and she gasped, looking over at Becca as she realized what song was playing. Becca smiled seeing her surprised face then motioned for her to start dancing.

MacTavish took her hands and Melody stepped onto his feet,

_Seasons may change, winter to spring  
>But I love you until the end of time<em>

Come what may  
>Come what may<br>I will love you until my dying day  
>Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place<br>Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace  
>Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste<br>It all revolves around you  
>And there's no mountain too high<br>No river too wide  
>Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side<br>Storm clouds may gather,  
>And stars may collide<br>But I love you (I love you)  
>Until the end of time(until the end of time)<p>

Come what may  
>Come what may<br>I will love you until my dying day

Oh, come what may, come what may  
>I will love you, Oh I will love you<br>Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

Come what may  
>Come what may<br>I will love you until my dying day

When that dance was over, Melody stood on her toes and kissed his lips for a minute. "I love you, Mr. MacTavish." She said with a playful smile.

He grinned at her. "I love you too, Mrs. MacTavish." He said.

She chuckled. "That's going to take a while to get used to." She said wrapping her arms around his neck with a flirty grin.

"Well, you have forever to get used to it." He said returning her grin.

"Well, then I better start then, huh?" She said and kissed him once more.

He chuckled at her. Their moment was interrupted as Becca came over with someone on the other side of her grip. Ben had fallen into her trap and she took another victim into her happiness plot. She smiled.

"And of course, we got to have the father daughter dance. Just wouldn't be right." She said letting go of Ben's wrist with a grin.

"Already? We just ended our dance?" Melody questioned. She wanted to spend time with MacTavish at the moment but didn't want to hurt Ben's feelings or have Becca throw a fit over her refusal and all the work she put into this wedding.

"Well, you're in your dress still. That's a once in a lifetime chance there, Melody. I want to get all the dancing done before you go back to jeans." Becca said crossing her arms with a smug grin.

She rolled her eyes as she took MacTavish's wrist and drug him away. She turned towards Ben with a nervous grin.

"Please tell me I get my two left feet from Mom." She said with a smile. She wanted to at least dance with her father but not make complete fools out of their selves.

He grabbed her hand. "I've fought off dozens of enemies around the world and led two or three squads on my own; how hard could dancing with my oldest daughter be?" He joked looking down at her.

Melody chuckled. "Easier to say then do, Dad. 'Member all the stuff I've been through? I still think dancing is the hardest in that list." She said with a smile.

He smiled and she placed a hand on his shoulder as Becca began to play the song.

Melody looked down at her feet to make sure she didn't step on his and glanced up at Ben with a grin.

He smiled at her. "C'mon, Melody. How graceful is that? Here, look up and trust me." He said grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up softly.

'_Trust me'._ Those words seemed to leave Melody skeptical. Why did it seem so hard to do? He walked her down the aisle, was here for the wedding, and now she was dancing with him. Why was Melody still thinking of rejecting the thought? Her heart felt like he could trust him, but she cursed at her brain as it disagreed.

Melody pushed those thoughts away; she didn't want negative thoughts on her wedding day. She decided to just look up at Ben as she listened to the chorus playing.

_So I will dance with Cinderella  
>While she is here in my arms<br>'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
>Oh, I will dance with Cinderella<br>I don't want to miss even one song  
>'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight<br>And she'll be gone..._

Is this really what Becca had chosen? She was surprised there was a daughter-father dance in the first place. She and Ben were never like the song's lyrics. Melody was never Daddy's precious little princess and she never felt that strong love they sing about. She could tell he was trying to be here now, but Melody couldn't think this was just a little cliché'.

_Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand  
>Just glowing and telling us all they had planned<br>She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away  
>But I need to practice my dancing<br>Oh, please, Daddy, please?"_

So I will dance with Cinderella  
>While she is here in my arms<br>'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
>Oh, I will dance with Cinderella<br>I don't want to miss even one song  
>'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight<br>And she'll be gone

Ben then spun Melody in his arms, causing her to burst into laughter at the moment. Looks as though Ben had picked up his old moves. Melody couldn't help but wonder if they were the same moves that made her mother fall in love with him. Who knew, maybe it was just something Melanie found interesting about him.

As Melody heard the song begin to fade away, she was staring straight up at Ben.

"Well, we didn't fall." She said quietly to him.

He smiled at her. "I told you you can trust me." He said smugly.

Melody just smiled at him. "Yeah." She said simply then looked over at Becca who was arguing with the D.J. again. She chuckled as she slapped his arms and he practically threw her CDs back to her. She walked away and stuck her tongue at him softly.

Melody then began to walk away from Ben, grinning at him one last time and made her way to MacTavish.

She stood on her toes and kissed his lips softly. "Just in case we get pulled away from each other again." She said with a smile.

He grinned down at her and arched his eyebrows slightly. "Maybe I should get pulled away more often." He joked wrapping his arms around her waist.

Melody wrinkled her nose in thought and arched a brow. "Nah." She said and kissed him again.

"Come on you two, we still have more reception things to do." Becca said and curled a finger at them.

Melody sighed and looked at her friend. "What kind of torture are you going to put us through now?" She joked.

"Well, torture for you; awesome for MacTavish." She said with a grin.

Melody arched a brow with a wary look. "What are you planning you evil mastermind?" She asked hesitantly.

Becca chuckled. "No, not that. Geez, come on." She rolled her eyes at the two then grabbed Melody's wrist. MacTavish followed behind as Melody looked back at him curiously and he just shrugged though he wanted to give her a hopeful answer to her thought-filled looks. Becca then stopped as a crowd gathered around them.

"C'mon, Melody. Sit down!" She said with a smile and pushed down against her shoulders, forcing her to sit in the chair in front of him.

Melody's face grew red as she drug MacTavish over and made him sit on one knee in front of her.

"Dammit, Becca." She whispered embarrassed.

Becca looked down at her with a cocky grin. "I didn't put it on you in the closet for nothing." She said looking down at her leg.

"I know I was just hoping you'd forget." She said attempting to cross her arms.

Becca chuckled then leaned to whisper in MacTavish's ear. His eyes widened and Melody couldn't help but feel glad as his cheeks slightly reddened.

Becca turned to say something, but Melody looked down at MacTavish. "We should make a deal; we're both gonna kill Becca after all this." She whispered with a grin.

"Deal." He said with a crooked grin.

Becca then reached down and tapped his arm saying that he should start right now He sighed and hesitantly reached for Melody's leg.

Melody's face and entire body warmed and tingled with embarrassment at the moment as MacTavish placed his hand on her upper leg and heard Dunn's teasing whistle in front of them. She glared at him with a grin as MacTavish pulled off the garter and, making Becca slightly mad, flung towards one of the guys in the crowd. The garter landed in Frost's unsuspecting hands and his faced burned like a volcano since he had no idea what to do with it.

Becca turned and stuck her tongue out at MacTavish with a grin following. He just chuckled and placed to finger to his forehead, waving at her with a cocky, crooked grin. She rolled her eyes at him then, in almost a way of payback, she grabbed Melody's wrist from the chair and brought her over to a raised surface. Melody was given her bouquet she had been recently holding, minus the paper flower. She watched as Becca rounded up all the girls in the crowd. Melody looked down to see Avery being drug by Viktoria. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight. It had reminded her of Foley's wedding so many years ago when Becca had drug Melody away from MacTavish and towards the tossing of the bouquet; but this time it was a younger version. As she thought of that day, she noticed something as she looked down at the flowers in her hand. She had caught Victoria's flowers that day and now she stood in her place. She looked down into the crowd of young and older women and saw Victoria's face amongst them. She wondered if she thought the same thing as she stood there. Becca interrupted her thoughts as she ordered her to turn around. Melody obeyed and turned towards the wall behind her. As she lifted her arms, she wondered what victim would be caught with the bouquet this time. She then gave the bouquet a soft but firm toss as she heard shuffling as they tried to catch it. She then turned as she heard laughing and looked down to see who had caught it.

She smiled as she saw Avery's bright red face as she stared shyly at the flowers in her hand then glanced back at Simon. MacTavish stood next to him now and joked with an elbow to the side. He gave him a not-so-joking glare then grinned as MacTavish blew that away with a laugh. She looked down at Avery as she nervously gave the bouquet to Viktoria.

Melody smiled seeing the two. Some had said Avery had grown to act like Melody, but she never thought she'd be doing the same actions as she had done before she could even process any real sentences. Melody sighed and stepped off the raised surface and back to MacTavish with a smile. He grinned and took her in an embrace. She smiled as she smelt his cologne on her face and he kissed her make-up forehead. She looked up and kissed him on the lips and laughed slightly as she saw some red left over. As she wiped it away with her right finger, she then looked over as she saw Becca disappear into a room on the upstairs floor and she couldn't help but sigh.

"I think Becca's decided to raid my honeymoon bag." She said with a soft smile.

He looked up at where Melody was looking at then he forced her attention to him."Honestly, you should be happy." He said with a grin.

She furrowed her eyebrows with a grin. "How so?" She asked.

"Becca's occupying herself. We have at least a couple minutes alone." He said with a grin and kissed her.

She kissed him back then frowned as she looked back at the room. "But I wanna change out of this dress." She said in an almost begging tone.

He sighed with a laugh. "Go change, I'll try to see if Diamond wants to dance. Although, considering her now that's probably an obvious fact." He said glancing over at Diamond back on the floor.

Melody smiled and kissed his lips once. "I'll be back." She said then picked up her skirt and she went into the room Becca had disappeared.

She pushed the door open and saw Becca carefully and softly folding clothes and placing them in a bag. She bent down inside one bag and Melody tensed slightly. It was the things Melanie had given her a couple of days ago. She had meant to put the items in a dresser back home, but she never had.

Becca pulled out a small, baby pajamas piece. She furrowed her eyebrows and Melody decided to walk in. Becca gasped and hid Melody's honeymoon bag from sight and looked at her, holding the soft pink one piece.

"What are you doing up here? I thought you'd be with MacTavish right now." She said laying the clothing down.

"Yeah, but I was wanting to change outta this dress." She said.

"Oh, I thought you would. Here, get changed in this." She said holding a folded dress and a different pair of high heels.

"Oh, come on! I don't get my jeans back?" She said with an arched brow.

"No, you do not. Nobody wears jeans and a T-shirt at a wedding. Especially the bride." She said beginning to fold the baby pajamas and placed them back in Melody's bag.

"This isn't a wedding; it's called a reception." Melody said sarcastically with a smile.

Becca just arched an eyebrow at her with a stern face.

Melody laughed at her friend then turned to change. When she had finally changed into the clothes, Melody stepped out wearing a salmon pink, tight dress and black high heels.

Becca gave her a disapproving look as she saw that Melody had taken down her hair and pulled it back into a quick ponytail.

"Really?" She questioned looking at her.

Melody nodded with a smile and crossed her arms. "Think of it as payback for putting me in a tight dress." She joked.

Becca just rolled her eyes and turned back to packing.

As Melody went for the door, she glanced back at Becca then softly reached down and grabbed the tennis shoes by the door and snuck off calmly.

Once some steps down the stairs, she sat down and traded the high heels for the black and white Converse. She sighed feeling her toes then walked back down. She could see Avery gripping Simon's hand as she drug him to the dance floor as a slow song played and Jazmine was with Ben. Melody was surprised to see her mouth moving, she was never a talker but I guess it looked like Jazmine was going to be Grandpa's little girl. Viktoria on the other hand, it was doubt she was running her mouth to someone. At the moment, MacTavish seemed to be her newest victim. He was somewhere in the middle of smiling at her and trying to escape. Melody smiled, she loved her little nieces so much.

As Melody walked over MacTavish, Viktoria stopped talking for a moment then looked over at Melody.

"Aunt Melody, you changed your dress? Why? It was so pretty!" She said placing her hands on her fists.

Melody smiled. "I'm not like your Momma and Grandma. I can't stand being in a dress and in high heels." She said gesturing to Melanie and Krista who were still wearing their high heels.

Viktoria looked back at them then back at her. "I'm gonna go talk to them. Momma said not to bother everyone, but I think she basically meant you guys." She said with a thoughtful look then waved as she ran towards them.

"Your niece likes to talk." He joked wrapping an arm around her waist.

"_Our_ niece, John." She said tapping his chest with a grin.

He smiled at her then looked at her outfit for a minute and arched an eyebrow at her loose ponytail and tennis shoes. "You're a bum." He teased curling his finger around a strand of hair.

She stuck her tongue at him and giggled. "I don't know what I'll have to wear on the honeymoon. Becca insisted on packing for me now matter how much I refused." She said as they began to walk.

He smiled. "Are you scared?" He asked with a grin.

Melody thought over it for a minute. "Considering Becca's taste, then yes; I'm terrified." She joked as he led her outside into the main lobby.

He then pulled her over and kissed her. Melody kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. She then broke their embrace with a questioning look. "Why so many kisses? I'm not leaving you tomorrow." She joked looking up into his icy eyes.

He grinned. "I'm just storing up, so to speak. At some point later on you'll probably think I'm the deepest thing under the sea." He said stroking her cheek.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "Of course not, John. I love you no matter how crazy my mood swings will go. Remember that." She said placing a hand on his cheek and jaw line.

He grinned and Melody knew he was going to say something smart. "So, when you treat me like shit one day it'll be out of love?" He questioned with a cocky look.

She rolled her eyes at him and slapped the back of his head. "Just like that was out of love." She said with a grin.

He laughed at her then embraced her for another kiss.

After a long time of dancing and laughing, Melody's heart sank softly as she realized it was time to leave. She had such a great time here with all her family and friends. She knew it was only going to be a week away from them, but to her, a week felt like months. A thought then popped viciously into her mind. Would she be able to see them next week? Would Jenna decide that she wanted to come after her in her absence and take out her family and her extended family? Her face grew pale and she placed a hand to her stomach, looking for some kind of reason to take away the wary thoughts.

MacTavish looked down at her rather pale face and the left hand holding her stomach. "Melody? Are you alright?" He asked with a fearful tone at her sudden behavior.

Melody forced those thoughts away and looked into his calming blue eyes. "Yeah, just started thinking. It's nothing, trust me." She reassured him with a forced smile.

Though he could tell she was lieing, he sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist as Melody's face began to slow return to its color.

Melody looked around at the happy, but tired people in her crowd. Avery had fallen asleep beside Viktoria in one of the booths, both resting their heads on either side of Price laps as he fought heavy eyelids. Jazmine fell asleep long before any of the others and fell asleep in Ben's arms. Krista still managed to stand in her high heels as she talked with Melanie, Becca, and even Jessica, Dillon, Jamie and David. She was glad both sides of her family were getting acquainted. Diamond was now sitting and held her shoes in one hand as she talked with Frost beside her with a cocky grin and he playfully glared at her. She guessed Diamond made a joke about Frost catching the garter.

Melody was happy to see everyone so glad. It was a much better emotion then wariness and fear she had seen in the group so many times before. She prayed it would stay that way and that maybe, just maybe, Jenna would give up her wild revenge mission and just spend time with her son, maybe if she could find him in the place Melody had moved him to after she had killed Ian. She could feel the guilt and sadness all over again as she imagined the little boy; sleeping peacefully in her arms, not knowing that his father's killer was holding him with such gentleness and care. Melody wondered if the boy ever remembered that night. She knew for sure she'd never forget it.

As the sun began to disappear behind the clouds and covered the sky with a pink-orange-red blanket, Becca came over carrying bags. Melody smiled at her and tried not to think what she had put in her bag. Melody softly frowned as she saw Becca had lost her cheery behavior. She still showed a smile and grin, but there was something different now. It looked forced; to hide what she really felt.

"Well, here they are. Melody, you are not allowed to look at them until you reach the island and MacTavish, I didn't mess with yours so you're good." She said looking at Melody with a stern smile then at MacTavish with a grin.

"That's unfair." Melody said with a playful glare.

Becca smiled at her then let others say their good-byes to the two.

Melody watched as her new mother-in-law came over as David talked with MacTavish.

"Hey, sweetie. I know you and MacTavish are going to have a great time at the island. David took me there so many years ago. It's going to be so great to get to know you and our first little grandbaby." She said beaming at the woman then patted her stomach with a grin.

Melody couldn't help but feel a little awkward as the woman touched her stomach. She was used to either she or MacTavish touching it; besides the doctor that she knew she had to get used to.

"Thanks. And, John told me about that. I just hope I won't spend the whole by the toilet." She joked with a grin.

Jamie smiled. Melody could see John so much in her features, especially when she smiled. The same icy blue eyes and Scottish accent. She hoped their baby would have the same accent instead of her American voice.

Jamie then stepped over before giving her one last hug and kiss on the cheek.

David then stepped in front of her. Melody could see where MacTavish had gotten his height and his built from now. David looked down at her with dark blue eyes and smiled.

"Pretty much what Jamie said, but watch out for John here. He may need it considering what's in store for him." He joked.

Melody laughed. "Yeah, I can do that. Don't even worry about him; I've trained him well." She joked looking over at him.

David laughed at her then leaned down and hugged her tightly. She smiled as he patted her shoulder once then stepped aside back to Jamie.

She then saw John's sister, Jessica come over. "It's going to be great having a sister. Dillon has three brothers; I thought we were doomed." She joked in her feminine British accent.

"You too. I know what its like to grow up around boys. I was so excited when I found out I had a sister." She said with a smile.

Jessica smiled then hugged her.

Dillon stepped aside, shaking her hand and saying his congratulations. Melody understood his lack of words; they still hadn't known each other well.

Many more passed by giving their congratulations when Ben then stepped towards her as Melanie talked with MacTavish.

"Melody… I… Your mother and I." He stuttered trying to find the right words.

Melody just smiled and reached up and hugged him tightly. "I'm going to miss you Dad. I love you." She said in his ear.

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "You too, kid. Be careful out there, too. It would be a shame if you drowned." He joked placing a curled finger under her chin.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, Dad." She said with a chuckle.

He smiled then stepped aside as Melanie came by. Her eyes were filled with tears at her oldest daughter and she stroked her hair and jaw line. "I am so proud of you, Melody. I know you and John are going to live happily ever after like the stories I used to tell you when you were small. I wish you could go back to that size." She smiled.

Melody laughed softly remembering those stories. "I don't." She said with a grin.

Melanie smiled thinking of all the stuff she had been through in her younger years with Ben and nodded. "Of course, you wouldn't. Just be careful out there, Melody. I love you so much." She said hugging her tightly.

Melody smiled. "I will, Mom. I love you too." She said against the woman's embrace.

"C'mon, Mel. I think they have to leave now." Ben said with a grin as he tried to pry Melanie off her.

"Right, right. Of course." She said wiping away tears from her cheeks.

Melody then began to walk with MacTavish as they both exited the building. Melody waved at everyone as she stepped into the car waiting for her.

MacTavish sat across from her and looked at her face as she continued to smile and wave. When she finally looked over at him, he reached over and gripped her hand in his; he could feel the gold band on her left hand as she smiled at him.

"You ready?" He asked with a grin.

Just in those two words, Melody felt like they asked so much more. Ready to begin their life, ready for being a mother, ready for her new family and life. Melody didn't know if she was or not, but as she looked over in his eyes, she smiled.

"Always." She said as she squeezed his hand softly in hers with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the lack of description. I've never been really any good at description. I know it seemed a little rushed in the beginning so sorry about that. I'm just exicted about writing in the future with this story so I tend to get a little carried away in updating fast.**

**I don't really have a chapter question in mind, so I guess you can question yourselves:)**

**Have a wonderful day! And Take care:)**


	21. 21:What the Hell happened to my toes?

**Seven Months Later:**

"Dammit! Kid, will you please quit kicking me!" Melody whispered to her large, now swollen stomach. She sat on the couch watching something on T.V. as she ate some fruit. She wore her usual lazy wear; a large grey T-shirt and her cotton shorts. She was excited about the baby, but she just wished it would get out of her!

"Melody, quit cussing at the baby. It's weird." Diamond said turning and walking towards her from behind the kitchen counter.

Melody arched a brow at her. "Right now, all he can hear is a messed up chainsaw when we talk. I think he's been terrified at my voice for months." She said placing the bowl on the coffee table.

She then hissed in pain and clutched towards her stomach. Diamond then rushed over and took the bowl from her hands and looked at her with a wary face.

Melody got over the pain and looked at Diamond. "Jesus, take a pill Singh. The baby's just kicking again. He's so big." She said lovingly placing a hand on her stomach.

Diamond sighed and plopped down beside her. "I can't believe I'm baby-sitting you. No offense, but your husband is too damn protective." She said with a sigh.

Melody looked over at her and grinned. "Tell me about it." She said then threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. She let her mind wander and she began to think about months ago on their honeymoon.

"_I'm killing Becca." Melody called out from the closet._

_MacTavish looked up towards her direction as he lay on the bed. "What's the reason today?" He said propping himself up with his elbows._

_There was a silence until Melody finally answered. "I can't say; it's more of a show-answer." She said nervously._

_He arched an eyebrow. "Well, then let me see." He said half awake._

"_No! Just fall asleep!_ _I hate that I even put this on." She said the last angry to herself._

_MacTavish sighed. "If you don't come out, I'm coming in there." He warned sitting up now._

"_I'll kill you with this wire hanger if you do." Melody said looking at the clothes beside her._

_He rolled his eyes at his new wife. "Melody, you're going to have to let me see you sometime. I am your husband, now." He said with a calm voice._

"_Oh yeah, I have to get used to that." She said._

"_Melody, will you please just come out. I promise I won't laugh." He said trying to persuade her out._

_There was a silence as Melody thought it over. "Promise?" She pressed._

"_With my life." He said._

_Melody sighed and awkwardly stepped from the closet door. MacTavish widened his eyes at her; that was the least he had expected from her._

_Melody's long hair was draped over her shoulders and she wore nothing but the piece of lingerie that Becca had put in her bag. Her cheeks were red as crimson as he looked over the small, thin black slip she wore. You could see right through and see the black underwear underneath. Melody hugged her shoulders then folded her hands behind her back. She was trying her best to forget about the millions of scars on her body._

_As MacTavish began to walk towards her, Melody widened her eyes and backed away from him._

"_No, I'm changing." She said wrapping a robe around her._

_MacTavish rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist. "You can't be afraid of me forever, Melody." He said looking down into her chocolate eyes._

_Melody felt a tug at her heart as he said the words. "I'm not afraid of you, John. I'm afraid of what you'll see." She said softly, avoiding his eyes._

_He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Of what I'd see? Melody, what's wrong?" He asked placing a hand on her cheek, feeling the line of her scar._

_Melody stepped away from him and his caressing hand. "Of seeing me. I've been hiding myself away from everybody for years." She said looking at him._

_He stepped closer then placed a hand on her back so she wouldn't back away from him. They stared at each other for a moment until MacTavish then placed a hand on her neck and quickly ripped the robe from her shoulders. He wanted to know why she was so afraid of him seeing her._

_Melody looked at her feet and avoided his eyes as he looked at her scarred body._

_MacTavish looked at the swirling scars on her legs and arms; seeing the deep ones and the mere scrapes. He then remembered something and grabbed both her arms with his hands and looked at the words cut deep into her lower forearms._

"_Melody, what are these?" He then asked looking at the two words on her arms._

_She didn't answer for a moment and looked down at her feet. "Remember when I was still Kallen and I told you and Price about my punishment for killing a comrade; Ian? Well, Anatoly took a box cutter blade and wrote lier into my left arm. Jenna had been there, invited by Anatoly and he let her cut this into my arm." She said looking down at 'bitch' on her arm. Melody sighed and placed a hand on her stomach. _

"_What am I supposed to tell him? What do I say? How could I calm him down when he sees all the scars on my arms? I'm going to be a monster to my own child." She said sadly and stepped away from him._

_MacTavish was unnerved by the words on her arms, but he could tell that she was much more upset about what the baby would say when he was older. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to his chest._

"_You'll tell him they're just cuts. He won't think of you as a monster; you'll be his mother that he loves very much 'cause that's what you're going to show him." He said against her strawberry scented hair._

_Melody sighed and pushed herself away from him and looked at herself in the floor mirror._

"_What are you talking about? I just need to be paler and I'm the grudge." She said looking at herself._

_MacTavish rolled his eyes. He reached over and grabbed her arm and slung her on the bed, anything to keep her from worrying herself about her body and the scars._

"_Will you please quit throwing me around! Baby on board, remember?" She said annoyed and sat against a pillow._

"_I'm sorry, but you have to promise me you'll quit worrying about that. You're fine and I love you. Now, you officially have to shut up." He joked with a crooked grin._

_She rolled her eyes and laid down against the soft pillow and sheets._

"_Fine, but I don't agree with you." She said stubbornly._

_He chuckled and laid down beside her and she placed her cheek on his chest._

Melody then looked over at Diamond.

"Diamond, what would you say if I asked you… oh never mind." She began to say but then brushed it off.

Diamond arched an eyebrow. "What? You can ask. Depending on what it is, I'll agree." She said thinking about the possibility of her question.

"It was nothing, trust me. Besides, MacTavish in three, two…" Melody said with a grin and held up three then two fingers and pointed towards the door.

At that moment. Diamond furrowed her eyebrows at her as MacTavish stepped in and dropped a bag at the door and walked towards the women on the couch.

"You're kid is trying to kill me." Melody said in a tired voice with a grin.

He gave her a crooked grin. "So, when he's hurting you he's automatically mine?" He said standing beside her.

She nodded and closed her eyes for a second then opened them again when she felt MacTavish's hand on her stomach. She smiled at him as he pressed his lips against her swollen stomach and Diamond smirked at the two.

"You two are so corny." She said crossing her arms and standing up from the couch.

Melody smiled and looked over at MacTavish.

"Couldn't help it." He said with a grin.

"In a way, it's kinda weird. No offense Melody." She said then glanced down at the woman on the couch.

Melody just shrugged and gave a frown that showed she didn't care. "None taken." She said looking down at her stomach.

"And how is it weird?" MacTavish demanded, slightly amused at what her answer could possibly be.

"It's weird because there's a person inside her. Every time it moves or kicks or whatever is really freaky. And I've seen the 3D ultrasounds that MacTavish had seen a while back; it looked like a freakin' alien. No offense, once again." She said making sure to not offend Melody. The last thing she needed was a pissed off mom-to-be.

Melody was no longer listening as she began to look over at the coffee table in front of her with a wary look.

Diamond then said nothing and wondered why she looked so freaked out. "Are you alright, Melody?" Diamond asked.

MacTavish looked down at her and kneeled beside him, placing a hand atop hers as she continued to stroke her stomach. "Mells?" He questioned looking in her eyes.

She was silent and unmoving for a moment until she looked up at MacTavish with a thoughtful look on her face.

"I can't see my toes. I can't find my fucking toes." She said then began laughing as MacTavish growled and rolled his eyes at her.

"Dammit, Melody." He said crossing his arms and softly glaring.

"Well, it was either that or fake labor. Which is better?" She said with a playful smile.

Diamond laughed at her the said her farewells since it was her time to disappear again.

Melody waved once more than looked at MacTavish. "John, I am twenty-six years old I do not need a baby-sitter." She said annoyed.

"Well, considering the you act, you do need one. I'm not leaving you by yourself at the house when we only have a few weeks until Beckham comes." He said sitting on the coffee table edge and held her hands in his.

"I know, I'm just tired of being a burden to Diamond. She has a life you know." She said looking into his eyes.

He grinned half-heartedly and kissed her forehead once before walking off.

For months it had been the same way for the newly married couple and Diamond. MacTavish was just as protective, times two. He had Diamond watch her while he worked at a hotel as a mechanic. He had always loved to fix things, even when he had gone on missions with the 141; he was always stopping around to treat something on his way. Melody didn't like being cooped up in the house all day; she felt like a burden to some but she couldn't tell if all the worrying was because of hormones or stress of the baby's soon arrival. She was still figuring out that.

Nearly three or four months earlier they had learned that it was a little boy. Melody was happy, but MacTavish seemed a little disappointed, though he dare not show it. Melody constantly told him that it was a boy when she would tell him about the room she was going to plan; he'd always make a comment like, 'Are you sure you want to make it completely like a boy's room? You can never be sure' or 'Are you sure, you never know what sex the baby really is until he's born'. Melody brushed it off and relied on the doctor and everyone else that agreed that it was a boy. Some said it seemed right for them to have a little boy. Avery had said it would be a nice change, all there is are girls. Well, expect for Becca who could be having a boy. You can never really tell with twins at the moment. It still made Melody chuckle thinking how shocked both Dunn and Price could've been when they first learned Becca was having twins. She jokingly thought Price went into hysterics.

The same cycle went on for weeks; MacTavish would care for Melody at night, usually hold her in a cradling position since her back and body would ache all the time, he'd wake up while Melody would sleep then Diamond would come and spend the day with her while MacTavish worked. Once he came back, she'd be off and MacTavish would be stuck with her.

Melody began to see a change in him when the due date grew closer and closer. He fretted about everything and he always looked around some rooms, usually just looking in them and sometimes began to think how different everything will be once the baby did come. He scared him slightly because it was something he had never been close to. Melody usually hid her soft fear from MacTavish because she didn't want to worry or bother him with her unimportant fears. Even her mother had told her it was nothing and that it would fade away once they first looked into little Beckham's face. That didn't drive away their fears of being bad parents.

When it was only a week until their due date, Melody sat on the couch reading a book while she tried to rest her back. At first, her legs were curled under her as she sat on them then she stretched them out in front of her as she sat with her back to the arm. She had been feeling some minor pain in the stomach but thought it was another false alarm. She saw waiting for Diamond to arrive since MacTavish had already left, she sat in silence. She never liked the silence so she had listened to her iPod while she waited.

She looked over her stomach and looked at her feet taping to the beat as she hummed. She had been listening to the same song for weeks, over and over. MacTavish usually teased her and Diamond had said that sometimes she could hear it on full volume on their quiet days and she had grown so tired of the song that it took all her will power to not yank the thing from her ears and send it out the window and in her imagination, a dozen grenades and multiple bullets in the music player.

Melody chuckled at her friend then her grin faded as she felt the blood flush from her face. Her heart raced and she her face was pale as she noticed that her legs were somewhat cool and damp.

She placed the book down and saw the liquid from her legs. She wanted to jump up like she had been able to do, but now it would take her a while to so she slightly lifted her legs and stared at the wet couch with wide eyes.

"Holy shit!" She breathed out as the realization hit her in the face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry if the big time leap annoys some of you guys. I was trying to get past all the boring and corny stuff lol. Well, it looks like it is a little boy and now that "HOLY !#$#%#" moment has sunk in for Melody and maybe the rest of the gang:)**

**Chapter Question: Do you think the doc and everyone is right; do you guys think it's a boy? And, (might be a lame question but) does our little 'Tavish want a little girl?**

**All the be answered next time! I love you guys and have an awesome weekend/day! :)**


	22. Chapter 22: Author's Note:

Hello, all you good people of Fanfiction! I wrote this quick author's note to say that it will be a while until I finally update. I've been having some trouble with getting into it again since other ideas have been checking in into my imagination once again. I'll try to slap something down for the next chapter soon. I've been currently getting into my FictionPress piece again and I was reading 'Fast I Fade Away' a little while ago and decided to completely go through and redo it. I was never really satisfied with how it turned out and the plot was extremely different than the one I wanted to do in the first place, so since I have the time now since I'm on my Spring Break, I decided that now would probably be the best time for that.

Thanks everybody for reading and sticking along with me through the little journey of ours. You have no idea how happy it makes me when I read your reviews, messages, etc. etc. You have been very nice and I appreciate it. I honestly wouldn't be here (on Fanfiction) without you guys. And I even appreciate the negative reviews. They help me see some wrong-doings in the story and they bring to light what I could change.

So, long story short, thank you everyone who has read and reviewed and I promise to get back to work on this story soon.

Have a wonderful day! :D


	23. 23:Bribe him, maybe he'll come faster

"MacTavish! You're fucking son is coming!" Diamond nearly yelled at MacTavish through the phone as she looked at Melody sitting beside her in the car. 'Aw, shit!' She thought; having no clue at what to do.

"What? We have two weeks before he comes!" He then exclaimed, completely shocked as she and Melody felt about the current situation.

"Tell that to him!" Diamond said stopping at a red light and looked over at Melody.

MacTavish was silent for a moment then groaned and spoke again. "How's Melody?" He asked, wariness a clear fact in his voice.

Diamond then turned to Melody. "You okay? MacTavish's is freaking out right now." Diamond asked placing the phone from her ear.

Melody looked up at her and slightly glared as another contraction came slowly along. "I'm going to murder that fucking Scottish bastard!" She said angrily through the pain.

Diamond then nodded once and turned back to face the road and placed the phone to her ear again. "Uh, pleasant." She said unsure. "I'll call you back in a minute MacTavish. I'll tell you when we get there. See ya later, poppa." She then joked lightly trying to ease the tension.

MacTavish didn't say anything but hung up.

Diamond then took a deep breath. 'This is going to be a helluva long day.' She thought as she looked out the window.

* * *

><p>MacTavish took another drink of the coffee clenched in his right hand, but frowned slightly to notice it was empty. It had been four hours since they had arrived at the hospital and he was more wary then he had ever been before. Realization hit him square in the face so suddenly and unexpectedly. It a matter of hours his son was going to be in the world. He couldn't believe it. He thought about how he would've reacted if you had told him this news when he first teamed with Price so many years ago. He thought that he'd most likely laugh and deny it. Probably say something like he was married to his career and had no time for women or starting a family. He scoffed at the thought of his old self and placed the empty Styrofoam cup next to the four others he had drank that night.<p>

He turned when he heard an echoing soft thud of fast feet and grinned when he saw Avery with her large dark blue backpack on her shoulders, flying down a hallway with Simon cautiously chasing after her. MacTavish could tell that Avery must've just got out of school since her hair was still braided down her shoulders and she wore long jeans and a white T-shirt with two animated turtles on the front; on big and one small, reading above them, 'I'm the big sister!'. He smiled thinking of how she must've picked that shirt out. She was always going on about how she was going to be a big sister soon. Well, sort of big sister.

Avery smiled and ran up to MacTavish. "Uncle 'Tavish! Is my little brother here? Huh, is he, is he?" She immediately asked, big blue-green eyes shining with excitement.

MacTavish chuckled at her. "Not yet, but soon, Avenue." He said ruffling her hair.

Avery giggled and lightly stuck her tongue out at him. She hated it when he called her that. When they had first met, MacTavish had teased her and called her Avenue. Ever since she laughed about it and said that she hated the name he decided to poke fun at it. He knew she didn't hate it as much as she lead on because she never got mad when he said her nickname.

Simon sighed and sat down on one of the chairs in the waiting room. "She hasn't stopped talking since I told her the news this morning. Careful, she might talk your ear off." He warned lightly seeing her sit on her knees in one chair and pulled her backpack off her shoulders.

"Daddy, daddy! Look, my very first homework in history!" She said proudly showing the paper she had to color in.

Simon smiled. "I know, sweetheart. You better get to it so you won't have to worry about it over the weekend." He said with a grin.

Avery nodded stiffly and immediately dug through her backpack for her long, rectangular plastic box of crayons. Her crayon box was "personalized" as she would call it. She had added so many stickers to the box, mainly those of butterflies, numbers, and letters. On the top, under the large 'Crayola' marking she had sketched in her name with a red permanent marker.

Avery Anne Riley

As Avery quickly, but carefully colored in her paper, MacTavish looked around at the awaiting family and friends that sat; just impatiently waiting to see Beckham for the first time. Though Dunn and Price both told her to stay home because of her current state, Becca sat laying her head against Dunn's shoulder and squeezed his hand in hers; whispering something to him privately. Price sat beside his wife, Rachel, with his arm around her shoulder lovingly while she absentmindedly flipped through some pages of a magazine. Of course, both his and Melody's parents were there. Krista sat with her husband and Viktoria now sat with Avery after she had finished her required work and Jazmine, without a doubt, was now walking to Benjamin with a broad smile and placed her hands on his knees. Ben smiled and picked the little girl up as she immediately began to whisper something to him secretively.

MacTavish smiled at the bunch then heard the doors behind him swing open and saw his old friend come walking out the doors. Diamond's hair was down, which was a strange sight to see, and she sighed with an exhausted expression on her face. Her big black-brown eyes widened thinking of Melody back in the room and then walked to MacTavish and the others.

"How is she?" He asked looking down at her.

Diamond snorted and her mouth gaped to a small 'O'. "Ohh, she's preparing to murder you! But, she also said that she demanded you come in there. Your shift, bro." She said patting his shoulder then walked over where Price was sitting.

MacTavish looked back at her for a moment, then chuckled to himself and began to walk through the doors. The back room was full of nurses and doctors roaming around and through a cracked door he could see Melody's form lying on the bed. He grinned and began walking in.

Melody heard him walk in and she gave him a soft grin as he took her hand in his. "Diamond said you were going to kill me." He said trying to calm her fears that she could see building in her eyes.

Melody chuckled. "Sorry, that was just instincts seeping through. My Grandma said she was going to kill my Grandpa when my mom was born. Mom said she was going to kill Dad when I was born, so I thought I might as well live on the tradition of threatening our husbands, pre-birth." She joked looking at him with sarcastic eyes.

MacTavish laughed at her then brushed back some hair in her face. He could tell some unsettling thoughts kept probing her mind and he didn't want her to worry or fret right now. He placed a hand on her cheek and then thought of something to say. "Everyone's waiting outside, Mells. Our parents, Price, Rachel, Becca, Dunn, Krista and the kids, Simon and Avery, and of course, Diamond. They're all here, Melody. We're all here for you." He said softly trying to calm her nerves.

Melody smiled and some of the pressure had dropped from her shoulders, but a small part was still there. Though she dared not say it, she wished her late friends were there. Mallory; she could've been with her family now. She had always said how her mom died when she was just a baby and that her Dad had taken care of her till the day she left for the Military. She often said how she had no intelligence of her family past her Dad and his side of the family. She wished she was here; her family would be complete then. Steven; he was always quiet and quite shy but he knew the right time to speak and the right time to joke. She missed his silence and the way he'd make faces when he was in deep thought. Shaun; he was always her friend since day one. Yes, they had some differences and she was often crude to him at some times, he still remained loyal to their small group of friends till the day he died. Ronan; she didn't wish he was here because she had loved him so long ago, but because he was her friend. They all were. He was mean to her at the beginning and still was after their long separation, but he had warmed up to her eventually. He wasn't heartless; he was just trying to be like his mentor before him. Melody often told him he shouldn't be striving to be someone else. She had tried so many times to be something she wasn't and it usually blew up in her face. She didn't want anything to happen to him that would ruin him.

Melody sighed thinking of them. She was over them, yes, but that didn't mean she still missed them. Every day she thought of them and what they'd say or do in some situations of her life. Like now, Shaun or Steven would probably ask if the baby was an Aussie or a Scott. Mallory would take up motherly instincts and wave them off and tell her comforting things; like to not worry and just ignore Shaun and Steven since they had the emotional range of a spoon. Ronan would probably be more hesitant in anything. She imagined there'd be an awkward tension between them since he was never good with this kind of thing. Never a huge family man since he had grown up without a real family of his own. But, he'd still be happy for her and give his congratulations.

She had missed them so much, but she was glad for the small time she had with them. They all taught her to let friendship in and that it wasn't a crime to actually love someone. It didn't have to physical or undying love like in some novels and entertainment topics say it should be, but just to care for someone deeply. To say that they loved them without putting some drama it in to make it more serious than it really was.

Melody pushed those thoughts away as she felt another contraction come along and looked up into MacTavish's loving icy eyes. She smiled when she knew she was ready for this. Now, she had new things to look forward to than to constantly ponder on her old friends; her first family away from home. She was ready for what was coming and as she felt the pain in her lower abdomen she knew it was definitely coming soon.

* * *

><p>"What's taking so long for my baby brother to get here?" Avery said stubbornly as she rested in Simon's arms; nearly eight hours later.<p>

It was almost nine thirty at night as they all sat tired, waiting for the baby's arrival. Jazmine had already fallen asleep in Ben's arms almost two hours ago and was now softly snoring on his leg as she lay across his lap with Viktoria now just drifting off to sleep on a large loveseat, Jeremy stroking her hair lovingly.

"Soon, Avery. He'll be here soon, don't worry." Simon assured her again for the third time during a yawn.

"Well, it's not soon enough. Can't the just bribe the baby out already! You always tell me that if I don't get my work done soon then I'll get the consequences of putting it off. Can't you tell Beckham that if he doesn't come out here soon we're all gonna go crazy and he'll be stuck with crazy people all his life!" Avery said impatiently.

Price looked over at the small girl and chuckled. Rachel had gone off with Becca since Becca had said she needed to stretch and walk some. Price thought about the woman Simon had talked about once on their days of hunting down Kingfish. He had seen the woman, Anna, when they had first picked up Simon so long ago. He remembered thinking that they had said good-bye a million bloody times before he and MacTavish had to pry Simon away from the then pregnant woman. Price had seen pictures of Avery when she was born when they were sent to Simon. He remembered how excited the young man was then and how he always kept the picture close, usually tucked carefully away in his gear on missions. He sometimes had talked to the picture, thought Simon hadn't known Price had heard before. He usually murmured to it saying that he was coming home soon; sometimes he'd kiss it before falling asleep. He always did so when no one was looking or sleeping since he told himself he had to be serious here. That it wasn't summer camp but war.

Seeing Avery in flesh now brought him back to the memory of the day they had first seen Simon.

"_Promise me you won't go fallin' in love with beautiful foreign women who aren't pregnant and moody." Anna said softly against his chest as she hugged him. Her heart ached for she felt as though she would never see his face or feel his strong, protective arms around her anymore._

_Simon looked down at her with a smile and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Now why would I do that when I have my fairytale princess waiting for me at home? Everything will be fine Anna and I'll be home to you both soon." He reassured her and kissed her lips once more._

_Anna nodded forcing herself to loosen her grip on him as he began to walk towards the older man with an accent and the younger one beside him that played with the knife carefully while waiting for Simon. Her heart raced as she watched him gather his stuff and she reached out towards him and gripped his arm in complete fear as she wrapped the other arm around her large stomach._

"_But what if you don't Simon? I don't what we'll do if we lose you." She said referring to the baby in her womb and herself, tears threatening in her eyes._

_Simon sighed and embraced her one last time. He wanted to calm her fears, tell her that he wouldn't die and would be back to her before she could think about him, but could he really promise that without breaking it? He never wanted to hurt Anna and knew he never could so he kissed her lips slowly for a moment then looked into her pleading, fearful blue-green eyes. "I love you and Avery more than anything in this world, Anna. You always remember that." He said staring into her eyes._

_Anna could tell he didn't want to say the obvious and nodded reassuringly as she looked back at the two men who were now approaching the two._

"_I really hate to drag you out, but we have to get going." The older man with the British accent said gesturing towards the jeep behind them._

_Anna nodded and stepped back as Simon walked with the two. Anna could feel her heart skip a beat as she thought about never seeing him again. She knew she shouldn't be putting so much stress on herself but she couldn't help it. Her husband and the father of her child was leaving to fight. She was scared her little Avery would never know the caring, but stern man she had fallen in love with what seemed so long ago._

_Then, as they were walking away, the other man, the slightly younger one turned back to Anna. "Don't you worry about the lad, Mrs. Riley. He's in good hands now." He said with a reassuring grin and she could hear the strong Scottish accent in his voice._

_She smiled at him. "Thank you." She said loud enough for him to hear._

_He grinned one last time then patted Simon's shoulder as he turned to look at her; he motioned him to jeep. _

Price let out a breath through his nose as he saw the small girl. It was completely true what Simon had said; Avery was a spitting image of the woman he had only seen once, Anna. He remembered how distant and cold the man had got when they received the news about his wife's passing. After he had served his first round, Simon had went back to visit his late wife's grave. That was the same place he was first given a five month old Avery; his mother-in-law had been watching her since Blake was always gambling in the streets since Anna's death. He still remembered and vowed to keep the promise he had made to the small girl that day.

"_Don't worry, Avery. Daddy's here now and nothing will hurt you as long as I'm here." He had said while he watched the baby sleep peacefully in his arms._

As the room grew silent and everyone grew tired, MacTavish then began to walk out of the doors with a worrisome face. They were told they were going through the birth now and that the baby should be born any minute. Diamond grew worried as she saw his face; she knew something had happened.

MacTavish had walked to him with a sorrowful face and stood in front of them.

"John, is everything alright?" Jamie asked looking at her son with a sympathetic look.

MacTavish looked as though he were going to cry. "No, everything isn't alright." He said looking down at the ground with a pained tone.

Everyone shared the same hurt expression as Melanie then leaned over to ask him something. "What happened? Is our grandson alright?" She asked glancing at Ben and MacTavish's parents.

MacTavish took a deep breath and forced himself to look at them, hurt and pain clearly on his face. "No, my son isn't alright." He said slowly and quietly.

Jamie gasped and placed a hand on her heart. They looked like they were on the verge of tears as MacTavish began to speak again.

"He's not alright because it's a girl!" He then said with a slow and deliberate smile.

They were still shocked and confused at the man's words and Diamond glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Jesus Christ, MacTavish. Give somebody a heart attack will ya?" She said standing up.

"What?" Jamie then asked trying to get past the shock she had been recently in.

MacTavish grinned and looked down at his mother with a huge and proud smile. "It looks like everyone was wrong. Our little Beckham turns out to be a little girl of our own." He said proudly.

Avery's face lit up with joy and excitement. "It's a girl! I wanted a brother but this is awesome! It's a girl, Daddy! It's a girl!" She said happily bounding with joy and shook her father's arm.

"Yes, yes I heard, Avery! Congratulations, MacTavish." He said looking into the girl's overjoyed eyes then looked at MacTavish in front of them.

"What's her name?" Jamie then asked excitedly as she thought about her first and only granddaughter.

MacTavish smiled. "We decided to go with Jamie-Lynn. Melody just vowed that that's what her name would be. Jamie-Lynn Marie MacTavish. I told her it was a mouthful, but that she had to have the middle name Marie that way she'd have both something from her grandparents on both sides." He said beaming with joy.

"Well, when can we see her?" Melanie then asked joyfully.

"In a minute, she's feeding her right now." MacTavish said sitting down.

"Already? Man they're fast." Krista said sitting back in the chair.

MacTavish scoffed. "Although, I turned into those Dad's that Mells and I used to make fun of. I took like, twelve million pictures." He said with a grin and took out his phone. He passed it on to his mother first since she was closest.

She smiled at the small person she saw on the screen. "Wow, she looks just like Melody. Do you know her eye color, yet?" She said admiring the picture and glanced up at MacTavish.

He nodded. "Not yet." He said yawning slightly and looked at the small face of his new daughter from the corner of the screen.

"She's got that black hair like you did. It's so curly!" Jamie squealed at the picture of her granddaughter.

MacTavish chuckled at them then let them look at the rest while he snuck off to be back with Melody and their new daughter. He still found that weird. It was definitely different to even think.

He grinned seeing Melody laying on the bed wearily and kept a hand on the small crib beside her where Jamie-Lynn slept peacefully. She looked up and gave him a tired smile.

"Hey." She said as he came over and took her hand in his.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" He joked leaning down and kissing her forehead. He then looked over at the small girl and smiled.

"I guess it's a good thing we haven't gotten around to the baby's room yet." He said matter-of-factly.

Melody just laughed at him and kissed him once more. She was so excited at the moment and seeing her daughter lay before her seemed majestic. She thought about it and thought that this is what it would've been like if they had Gracie. She was still sad about their first child's absence, especially on the anniversary of the day she found out and lost her, but she was ready to start over on that. With Jamie-Lynn and John. Her new family.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, it looks like everyone was wrong lol. Welcome to the Melody Series (Modern Warfare/Call of Duty Fanfiction) World Jamie-Lynn Marie MacTavish! Whew, he was right, that is a mouthful! Sorry it took a while for me to update; I have to confess I do not have an understandable reason for not updating sooner. I'm just lazy lol. I hope you enjoyed it and Please, let me know what you think about the little Simon/Avery/Anna/Price thing I did there? I feel like it could honestly be improved on later but right now I don't think it's that bad. Not bragging :P**

**Chapter Question: So, the baby's here; how are Melody and MacTavish going to cope with no sleep and full-time Mommy/Daddy hours! :D All to be answered soon!**


	24. Chapter 24: In My Daughter's Eyes

"C'mon, Diamond. She won't bite and besides it's like holding a rifle." MacTavish said with a grin as he held the now five month old Jamie-Lynn protectively in his arms.

Diamond arched an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. "Yeah, but if you drop a rifle it's nothing. If I drop your kid, you'll kick my ass and bury me eight feet under." She said with a grin.

He chuckled at her then arched a brow. "You mean, six feet under, right? You do know you bury dead people six feet under the ground?" He asked with a skeptical grin.

Diamond rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I know that. I'm saying, you'd be so mad you stop me down two more feet." She said with a grin and sat down on an arm chair and looked at him as he tried to calm Jamie down as she began to kick and moan. Diamond couldn't help but notice how protective MacTavish was now a days with the baby. She jokingly thought that he worried enough for both he and Melody. That thought then brought a question to mind.

"Where is Melody? She said she'd be back in an hour? It's been three." She asked questioningly.

MacTavish just shrugged. He wasn't too worried about Melody, but he didn't like being alone with Jamie so he forced Diamond to come down. Melody would probably get mad at him and give him the 'Diamond has a life too!' lecture again. He chuckled just thinking about her. She had changed so much since the first time he had really talked with her. Not at the wedding, but her first day on the Task Force that seemed like decades ago.

"_Don't worry, Melody. You'll be fine here. But, I have to comment; you're damn weak on your combat. That's why I asked Soap to help you. He shouldn't bite but I can't promise he'll go easy." Nikolai said pushing Melody along the path to the gym._

_Melody arched a brow at the older man beside her. "But, I don't even know him! If he touches me I will kill him!" She threatened coldly._

_Nikolai slightly rolled his eyes at her. "Everything is killing with you! Just get in there, take a couple punches, and get out. You're part of our squad, Mouse. I know you just got used to caring about yourself and your own safety since your squad's death, but now's the time to man up." He said looking at her then glanced inside to see Soap impatiently looking at the two._

_Melody pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "I'm not going in there, Nikolai. And don't call me Mouse!" She said pointing a finger at him. She couldn't stand the name anymore; too many memories she wasn't ready to delve into._

_There was a silence between them until Nikolai thought of something with a cocky grin that made Melody tense and she knew she was going to hate what was coming._

_MacTavish stood there with an arched eyebrow when he heard yelling and cursing/threatening from an angry female voice. He turned to see Nikolai casually walking in like he didn't have a full-grown woman across his shoulder._

"_I hate you, Nikolai! Urgh! Put me down, Shrek!" She said angrily and punched his back somewhat rough._

_MacTavish chuckled as he watched Nikolai shrug and grab her hips. Melody's skin tensed and boiled as she felt the man's hands on her. All she wanted to do at that second was rip his arms and fingers off for bringing the memories back._

_Nikolai then hurled her off his shoulders and she fell on her bottom and glared immediately at the smiling Russian above her._

"_She's your problem now." He said dusting off his hands then turned to leave._

_MacTavish grinned and looked down at the woman who was trying to pop her back before standing up. He then offered his hand arched brow._

_Melody just glared at him and stood up. She wasn't in the mood for sudden acts from him. She then began braiding her wavy brown hair. She hated how it was growing slowly since she cut it short when she joined the Marines nearly five years ago. Then it barely tickled her neck and now it rested just an inch below her shoulders. She hoped it grow more while she was there._

"_So what shit are you gonna tell me to do?" She said crossing her arms._

_He arched a brow at her. "They told me you needed help on your hand to hand combat. So, that's what I'm doing. C'mon, hit me." He said cracking his knuckles then tapped his chin with two fingers._

_She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She knew that Ronan or any of her old mentors would never really tell her to hit them. "What?" She questioned, wondering if he was serious._

"_Hit me. C'mon, be brave." He said encouraging._

_She then shrugged and pulled her fist back and sent it out towards his face with added might. She watched as he pulled his chin away and rubbed it. She could tell there was some pain, but not enough. She scolded herself for not hitting him harder if that's what he wanted._

"_Oh, c'mon! I know your callsign is Mouse but tell me you're throwing punches like one." He said lightly teasing her name._

_She glared at him and balled her fists. She then reared her fist back again and punched him in the chin with all her might. She grunted as she felt her knuckled come in contact with his rough, stubble chin. She felt anger and pain well inside her when she heard her old name. They all called her that and she absolutely hated that feeling tugging at her heart. She thought before that she'd never have to feel that loneliness and abandonment eat at her again, now that is was back it made her more bitter than before. She just wanted to be left alone and maybe this would be final battle. She wasn't someone who thought about it or wished for it, but she honestly hoped she would die doing this. She knew she couldn't pretend to be normal. Why bother?_

_She then felt bad for taking her bitterness on the man before her as she saw him stumble back some steps and clenched his chin. She bit her lip as she waited for him to start yelling and threatening as she saw some blood appear from his lip to his chin._

_He didn't say anything though; he just stood there and wiped it off on the back of his hand. She wondered why he hadn't lost his top yet, but she decided to let it play out. Why ask for some crazy Scott to go completely mad at you?_

"_I, uh, I didn't mean to draw blood." She said awkwardly taking a step towards him, unsure of what to do._

_He just held out a hand towards her and she stopped in her tracks as he rubbed his jaw and grinned at her. _

"_Well, it's great to know that you have some fire underneath the intimidating threats. Now, how are you with blocking then attacking?" He asked ignoring her weak apology._

_She arched an eyebrow. "What?" She asked questioningly._

_Before she could say anything, her eyes widened as she saw the man then lung towards her. She felt his elbow jam into the side of her face. She gasped and clutched to her cheek; she was completely shocked that he had done that, but before she could angrily yell at him, she felt her balance give away. She knew he had kicked her ankle and she fell down onto her back with a grunt._

_She was shocked and confused. She could definitely see now that the man from the wedding and the one before her were completely different. There was a difference between this one; she absolutely hated him already._

'_Price was fucking wrong! I do not like him and will never find anything interesting in this man. Urgh!' She thought angrily as she sat upright and rubbed her lower back._

"_Why the fuck'd you do that?" She angrily demanded staring up at him._

"_Just showing ya how's it's done, missy." He said with a mocking grin._

_Though she hated him and just wanted to leave, she knew she wouldn't be able to go or they wouldn't leave her alone if she hadn't learned something from him. "Then teach me so I can get the hell away from you." She said standing up and poking at the sore spot on her cheek._

_He didn't say anything but grinned._

_The rest of that night was filled with grunts and the occasionally yelling and cursing from Melody when she fumbled or messed up. Even though MacTavish was annoyed with her and her screw-ups all night he continued to stay on since he could tell by three or four hours in she was intent on getting this right. So after many attempts and him knocking her down on her ass so many times, morning came._

"_Come on, now! We've been doing this all night and I still believe you can do this. But if we do this all day, we're quitting. So, last time. Now or never." He said annoyed and stood with his arms at his side._

_Melody let out an aggravated breath and glared at him. She thought of something. All night he had been telling her to strike at the face then knock them down. All night she had failed at doing so; she couldn't help but wonder if switching it up would catch him off guard and finally allow her to succeed at this. She decided to go for it then ran towards him._

_As he prepared for her attack, Melody came towards him and did as he told; sort of. She brought her elbow to his face as he prepared to reach out and grab her and block her next attack he was surprised when Melody reached out and harshly gripped his strong shoulders in her hands._

_Melody grinned mischievously as she brought her knee up fast and hard to his groin. She chuckled as he grunted. She then brought her foot behind his and knocked him down. As she watched him lying on his back on the ground in minor pain she then jumped in the air with uncontainable joy._

"_Hell yeah, bitches!" She cheered happily. She shocked herself when she realized that Shaun and Steven had used the term so long ago. She felt a tug at her heart and she threw aside the thoughts as she felt MacTavish's strong, rough hand reach up and grasp her wrist. _

_She squeaked in sudden fear as she felt her back crash against the concrete floor that she had tasted so many times that night. She heard MacTavish's low and dark chuckle and she couldn't help but wonder if he had gone completely mad._

"_No more Scottish babies for you, Scotland." She said regaining the breath that had been knocked out of her._

_He smiled and playfully kicked her leg. _

_She then looked over and surprised herself when she could see Ronan's immense blue eyes staring at her. She furrowed her eyebrows and blinked some times before she again saw MacTavish's face. He was grinning._

_She stood up and dusted herself off as MacTavish sat upright on the ground looking at her. As she was walking away, she heard his voice calling her behind him._

"_Hey… Melody!" He said now standing up._

_She turned around when she was fixing to set out towards the base quarters, orange-red morning sun hitting her face and making her hair glow as she looked at him._

_He stopped for a second thinking she looked beautiful in the light. He scolded himself then spoke what he was going to say. "Maybe you're not as bad as they say. I look forward to working with you." He said with a crooked grin._

_Though she was slightly unnerved that he had been told some negative things about her, she couldn't help but smirk. She liked this guy; he was the same guy from the wedding. She wondered if he had multiple personalities or something as she looked at him._

"_Yeah, you too." She said softly then turned and walked off._

MacTavish smirked remembering how much he had hated the woman. He had thought she was stubborn and too proud. He couldn't wait to be rid of her at first. He wondered what his old self would've been like if he could see him now with that same obnoxious woman and their small daughter.

"What the hell are you smiling at? It's kinda creepy." Diamond asked arching an eyebrow up at him with a smirk.

MacTavish then shook off those memories and feelings as he looked down at Diamond, snapping back to reality. He looked down to see Jamie now calm and straying softly back to sleep.

"I was just thinking. You remember that one night when I told you I proposed to Melody and how I said she can kick your ass because she could kick mine?" He said sitting down across from her and stroking Jamie's soft black curls.

"Yeah? Still don't believe you, but why ya asking?" She said with a grin at the memory. It also pulled at her heart remembering all that had happened in that base. She shoved those thoughts away before they could make her depressed remembering the team, no family, she loved then lost.

MacTavish didn't say anything but looked down at Jamie's face as she balled a fist into his red cotton T-shirt. He grinned and stroked her rosy cheek. "She sure did." He said softly thinking over her words and how she had said no more Scottish babies. He wondered if Melody had ever thought about the old times when they first met.

Diamond just looked at MacTavish as he looked into Jamie's face. Sometimes she wished she had the old Soap back; the one from the S.A.S and sometimes she was glad he had changed. If he had gone on without ever sharing his feelings he'd be lonely right now. They'd probably both be off on some crazed adventure with Price and the gang. Although, she thought about it and realized that Soap had changed Melody and made her happy. She wondered what Melody was like before; before the Task Force and her military career. She never talked about it, but when she was with her family there was usually an awkward tension between her and her dad when they brought up her childhood.

Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard the front door open and saw Melody stepping in with two bags across one arm.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! It was crazy in town today! I think all the old, single people roam around the streets on weekdays when the young ones are busy. I got hit on by four different men. But, one of them was actually cute. He almost got a response." She said with a grin and winked at MacTavish.

He rolled his eyes at her and then softly groaned as Jamie began to squirm in his arms and began crying. "I just got you to sleep, Jamie-Bug." He said softly and began to cross into the kitchen where Melody was.

Diamond arched a brow at the strange nickname. She was right, he had changed A LOT. Diamond stood up and leaned against the living room wall as she watched Melody take the baby in her arms with a bright smile.

"Hey, who's been pinching my baby?" Melody joked with a grin and kissed the girl's soft forehead.

Melody then tossed a water bottle towards MacTavish and he caught it in his palm as he walked towards the kitchen table to look at what she had bought.

"Sorry again 'bout being late. After dodging all the failed flirting attempts Becca had called to see if I could give her a hand for a moment while Dunn was gone. It's hard to care for twins by yourself." Melody explained, bottle in one hand and Jamie's purple butterfly blanket over her shoulder as she carried Jamie's weight on her left arm.

A thought then sprung into Melody's mind and she walked to Diamond. "Can you please hold Jamie for a second? I can only balance a couple things and if I drop Jamie I'm killing myself." She joked and looked at Diamond's tan face and black-brown eyes.

Diamond made an unsure face and furrowed her eyebrows. "I dunno…" She said questioningly.

Melody pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow. "I'm asking you to hold a baby for a minute not end world hunger." She joked with a stern face.

Diamond scoffed and held her arms out since she knew Melody was going to force her anyway. Melody smiled and carefully shifted Jamie from her arms and tucked her into Diamond's arms. Melody stroked Jamie's curls then walked off into a room down the hall.

MacTavish leaned on the counter and smirked at Diamond. "Told ya it was like holding a rifle." He joked seeing her awkwardly balance the girl in her arms.

"Shut up, MacTavish." She murmured as she watched Jamie raise a hand towards her shoulder and balled a fist in her hair. She had regretted wearing her hair down now as she softly played in it and tugged softly.

MacTavish grinned at her. "Oh yeah, she likes to play with hair. That's why Mells hair is always pulled back when she's with Jamie." He said with a chuckle.

Diamond gave him a look like a hunter to its prey then looked down at Jamie who was now awake this time. She was staring up at Diamond, chocolate brown eyes searching the face of the person that held her. She knew the face but had never been held by her. She smiled at her and kicked her arms.

MacTavish smiled hearing his daughter's giggle come from Diamond's arms, even Diamond couldn't help but grin at the small girl.

"That's what you get when you're an Aunt." He joked watching the two in the living room.

Diamond looked up at him a little shocked. She thought it strange to be an aunt and knew this was different than what she was used to.

Melody then came back and took Jamie from her arms carefully. "Thanks." She murmured smiling down at Jamie then glanced up at Diamond.

Diamond grinned and plopped down on one of the couches and watched as Melody began to feed Jamie.

After a while, Diamond left and Melody had fallen asleep already in their bedroom. As MacTavish laid down beside her, he heard the baby monitor beside them go off. He furrowed his eyebrows knowing Melody had already feed her and changed her diaper only thirty minutes ago.

Since he knew he couldn't just leave her he stood up and walked to the nursery down the hall. He smiled opening the door and seeing the pink and purple decorations around the room. Melody had used some old decorations that Melanie gave her when both she and Krista were babies. Melody liked the idea when she saw all her old stuffed animals from around the world when she and her mother would go on trips. Melody was too young then to realize her mother took so many trips to get away from Ben.

MacTavish walked over and softly leaned on the crib as he stared down at the crying girl.

"What's wrong, huh? I know you can't possibly be hungry or needing a change." He said with a grin as he reached down and picked her up in his arms. He stood there cradling her in his arms.

Jamie's crying softly toned down as she felt her father's protective arms around her and she smiled as his tired face. MacTavish chuckled as she placed a small, chubby finger on his chin and giggled when he pretended to bit it.

"Oh I see, you're just a little lonely lying down all night." He said then turning and sitting down in one of the chairs in the room.

Jamie grinned at him and crawled closer to his face and stood upright in his arms. She smiled at him and MacTavish felt something tug close to his heart when he thought about the small girl in his arms growing up.

He sighed. "There's that smile that your Mommy used to wrap me around her finger. Now that smile has a new owner and a new victim." He smiled talking softly to her though he knew she couldn't understand him.

Jamie looked at him with her round chocolate brown eyes with curiosity as he talked to her.

As he thought about her future and her growing up so fast on him, he became a little sad that his little girl was going to be full-grown soon if she didn't stop growing. But he knew he couldn't stop that.

"Jamie-Bug, promise me that there will be no boys in the near future. Hopefully you won't have your mother's taste in men and pick someone like me or that other guy, Ronan. I hope you never have to go through what both I and Momma went through. So, from this point on you are not allowed to date until your fifty, okay?" He said with a crooked grin as he looked at her young face.

Jamie furrowed her eyebrows though she had no idea what he said. MacTavish chuckled and placed her back in his arms, now trying to get her to sleep.

"I guess that might be a no." He said with a grin as she squirmed to sit back up.

"Oh, c'mon now, missy. We've all got to go to bed and you need to sleep." He said persuading her to sleep.

For almost twenty or so minutes MacTavish sat up with her, just talking with her until she soon fell asleep in his arms. As he stood there placing her back in the crib, he grinned half-heartedly as he watched the corner of her mouth twitch. He smiled knowing she had gotten that from Melody and he knew she was now fast asleep. Melody had always done that a couple times before falling asleep. He stroked her curls twice and left the door open with a crack as he walked back to his room where his wife slept.

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><p><strong>AN: Whew! That was a long chapter:) So, it seems like Diamond's warming up to little Jamie-Bug:) Poor Soap, she'll always be a little girl in your eyes but she might not wait to date until she's fifty. Sorry, dude.**

**I don't really have a chapter question... soo. Review please and have an awesome day:)**


	25. Chapter 25: Six Years Later

**Six Years Later:**

"But Daddy, if Mikey and Michaela are sissy's age then who's are age. There has to be someone our age. Ain't that right, eh Chris?" The four year old said trying everything to persuade his father that there had to be someone his and his brother's age in a wavering Scottish accent.

The identical boy beside him shrugged and focused on the game in front of him as his auntie steered him the right direction when he kept stopping in his tracks or slowing down to focus on the game on the touch screen phone of hers.

MacTavish looked down at his son and into his icy blue eyes. He grinned and grabbed him as he began to crawl on his back for a piggyback ride. "Well, I'm sure there's someone out there your age but no one that we know is yours and Chris's age, Cap'n." He said using the boy's nickname.

"Don't worry, Beck. There's nothing special about being the same age as someone…. Trust me." Michaela said looking over at the boy; curly red hair bouncing in her steps and dark blue eyes twinkling as they usually did. She finished her sentence with an embarrassed look on her face as she watched her twin brother jump off the monkey bars and towards their father, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Sneak attack!" Michael Jr., or Mikey, screamed as Dunn looked over and quickly grabbed him with a half amused and half scared look on his face.

Becca rolled her eyes at the two and walked over to Dunn holding the wild, giggling six year old boy.

"Michael, don't do that anymore. You're gonna give me a heart attack!" She said taking the boy in her arms and stroked his curly red hair.

"I'm just trying to be like Grandpa in his stories, Momma." He said looking up at her with large dark blue eyes.

"Well, sweetie you shouldn't be like that all the time. You could get yourself hurt, Bub." She said sitting him down and dusting the dirt from his black jeans and white T-shirt.

"Why not? Grandpa's the bestest ever!" He cheered throwing his arms in the air and screamed.

"Bestest isn't a word, Bubba." Michaela said walking over to the three and brushed back her wild curls.

Dunn smiled at his daughter; she was a clone of Becca, attitude and everything. He had always thought of Becca as a know-it-all and now she shared that with their daughter. He thought it suited Michaela better.

"Well, it is to me." He said crossing his arms stubbornly and stuck his tongue at her.

Michaela rolled her eyes at him. "And besides, Momma's right. You shouldn't be doing that. You're being immature and thoughtless. You could get hurt and that would be bad for all of us." She said crossing her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He said waving her off then ran over to Beckham and Christopher.

Beckham was looking around through the bushes for another frog to take home while Christopher hung upside down from one of the bars of the jungle gym as he laughed at Michaela who rolled her eyes at the careless boys.

As Beckham crawled through the bushes he saw a bird's nest resting in the tree above him and jumped as he heard sudden and rapid rustling in front of him. He squeaked in fear and crashed back into the bushes. He gained some scrapes but just rubbed them away as he crawled closer to the rustling leaves.

He peaked over and saw a baby bird squirming around in a pile of leaves. He pouted softly and looked up at the empty bird's nest. "Did ya fall out there, little laddie?" He said using his father's term of speaking. Beckham loved it and since he had his accent he figured he might as well speak the part.

He reached out to touch him then remembered something. "Wait, I can't touch you. Ya momma wouldn't come back and help you if I did. But I gotta, help you somehow. I know I'd be scared without my Momma and Daddy to watch me." He said softly to the bird.

He then swooped some leaves around the bird's injured body and lifted the tail of his shirt and tucked the bird carefully inside. "Don't worry little fella, I'll take care of you now." He said then carefully crawled back out and began to walk towards his father who was sitting next to Dunn.

Beckham looked like a mess from crawling around in the bushes and down in the leaves. His blue shirt now had large mud spots and his arms were cut some. Some leaves and a small twig were stuck in his curly blonde locks as he proudly carried the wounded bird towards MacTavish.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look, I'm like you and Momma now! Look, look, look!" He cried out as he began to softly jog towards him, careful not to make the bird uncomfortable.

"Beckham! What happened to you, boy?" MacTavish said jumping off from the park bench and jogged to the excited, beaming boy.

"I was looking for another frog in the bushes and I found the poor little birdie lying in the leaves. His Momma won't come for him, Daddy. I want to take of the laddie. If it is one." He said proudly showing the squirming, chirping bird in his shirt.

MacTavish arched an eyebrow at the boy and remembered that Melody was already furious in him for taking the kitten home. She felt sorry for the poor thing but she didn't want to hold an adoption center for hurt animals. He sighed and rubbed his neck, placing a hand on the boy's small shoulder. The boy looked so much like him that he felt as though he was talking to his younger self, well minus the fact that his hair was blonde like Benjamin's.

"Son, I know you want to care for the bird, but I don't think it's going to make, buddy. I'm sorry, but we just have to leave this one here. We can put it in the spot you'd like best." He said looking into the boy's now saddening eyes.

Beckham pouted and looked down at the creature. "But, Daddy. You let Sissy take Lenny home. He had a broked leg and you let her keep 'im. My bird has a broked body! He's suffering, Daddy." He said sorrowfully and pleaded with the man.

MacTavish let out a breath through the nose. He knew the boy was right and that it would seem unfair that Jamie had been able to keep the cat and he couldn't with the bird. But he didn't want Beckham to get hurt when the bird had died. It was an obvious fact that it was just a small matter of time. But seeing him beg with him he knew he had to. He just hoped he wouldn't get too attached to it.

"You're not going to leave until you get to take him home, huh?" He said knowing that he wouldn't. He was just as stubborn as a mule, just as Melody always was.

Beckham grinned knowing that he was going to be able to take him home now. "Aye, Daddy." He said nodding stiffly.

"Okay, Bud. But we should get going. We've been gone long enough to get out of your Momma's hair. Good thing she had Diamond with her." He said ruffling the boy's hair with a grin seeing the happiness quickly return. He prayed it stayed that way.

He walked over to one of the jungle gyms and grabbed Christopher by the waist. Christopher laughed loudly as MacTavish began to carry him, sprawled out across MacTavish's shoulder.

"Soldier style!" Christopher giggled approvingly.

MacTavish chuckled at the small Scottish boy and set him beside Beckham was staring down admiringly at the bird in his shirt. MacTavish was still shocked after four years of raising the boys that he could barely tell them apart when they stood side by side. They were perfectly identical and the only thing separating them was the difference in clothes and Beckham covered in dirt. He then looked down at his watch and cursed under his breath.

"Shite, is that what time it is?" He said shocked. He then looked down at the boys who had raised their brows at him.

"Momma would skin ya, Daddy." Christopher jeered with a grin.

MacTavish let out a breath. "Daddy didn't say that, Bud." He said pointing a finger at him.

Christopher smiled and Beckham furrowed his brows in wonder.

"Yes you did, Daddy. You just said it." He said pondering why he would say he didn't when he had.

MacTavish just shook it off and tried to dust off Beckham as he carefully held onto the bird. "Careful, Daddy! Careful!" He nearly screamed at him as he tried to dust off the sticking mud on the boy's chest.

"Calm down, Beckham. I won't hurt him." He reassured the boy then placed a hand on his shoulder while taking Christopher's hand in his.

They waved good-bye to Dunn, Becca and the kids then Christopher grabbed a blanket from the back of the car when a proud grin.

"Daddy, you can place the bird in this blanket. It's been sitting here for forever." He said handing over the red cotton blanket. He was glad that he was being useful and looked over at his twin brother with a grin.

"Okay, but get in your car seat and buckle in." He said taking the blanket from his hand then walked to Beckham who leaned against the car door.

He got down on one knee and motioned Beckham to stretch out his shirt as much as possible. Beckham carefully obeyed him and watched as MacTavish used his best precision to wrap the injured bird in the blanket and softly held it in the crease of his elbow.

"I got him, buddy. Now get in your car seat too." He said nodding towards the other side.

Beckham nodded and watched his father from the other side as he leaned over Christopher. Beckham hurriedly clicked himself in and watched as MacTavish placed the bird in the blanket in the space between the two. MacTavish shut the door on the two as they peered at the bird chatting happily amongst themselves.

While driving back home, MacTavish was surprised that the bird was still living as he glanced back at the boys. Christopher had fallen asleep while Beckham still happily watched his bird. MacTavish noticed he was talking to the injured animal. Telling him stories that he, Melody, and Price had told him before he went to bed. He found it calming and amusing hearing his side of the stories. He thought he exaggerated too much when he mentioned one of the three preforming a particular stunt. MacTavish couldn't help but think that Beckham had told them as if they were some kind of superheroes. He knew that wasn't true and both Melody and Price would deny it, but Beckham and Christopher absolutely loved the stories of their Task Force days and Melody's Marine days.

As Beckham neared the ending of the story of when they had gone to Africa, he noticed that Beckham had stopped short. He arched an eyebrow and glanced back in the rearview mirror. His fear had come true. He watched as Beckham began pouting and softly poked at the bird on the seat.

He sighed as Beckham then turned to face MacTavish, tears threatening against his eyelids. MacTavish hated to see him so broken-hearted, but he had warned him of that exact thing. But there was no way he'd say that.

"Daddy, he won't wake up! Why won't he wake up?" He begged as sobs then rose to the surface.

MacTavish felt his heart drop to his stomach as he heard the boy's mournful crying. He then tried his best to hurry home so he could comfort him and try to tell him that things were going to be alright.

After thirty minutes of hearing the boy's crying they finally made it back home. MacTavish shook Christopher's shoulder to wake him up. Christopher yawned and rubbed his eyes as MacTavish took him out of the car seat before he could look at the bird beside them.

He then took Beckham in his arms as he continued to cry on his shoulder and tucked his head into his shoulder for comfort while Christopher ran up the pathway to the door as he spotted Diamond's car in the parking lot, completely forgetting about the bird and happy to see his "adopted" aunt that he hadn't seen in weeks. He found it strange he hadn't seen Derek, or as he called him Frosty, the same while Diamond was gone.

Christopher happily bounded into the kitchen where he spotted his mother and Diamond in the living room; Diamond held their youngest child, Gracie, in her lap as Melody tried to decide on what she wanted to do for Jamie-Lynn's coming graduation party. Jamie sat in the kitchen writing down a list she had wanted to give to Melody.

"Auntie Diamond, you're back!" He called out happily as he ran up and hugged her waist, squeezing past his younger sister.

Diamond chuckled at the boy and hugged his shoulders. "It looks like I am. Where's that Scottish bum called your father?" She joked. She and Christopher had made it clear between them almost a month ago that she was kidding when she called him that.

Christopher smiled and pointed towards the door as MacTavish came in carrying the bawling Beckham.

Melody placed down her cup quickly and walked towards MacTavish with a wary and concerned look. "What happened? Why's Beckham crying?" She immediately asked placing a hand on her son's back and looked up at him.

MacTavish shifted the boy in his arms as Melody reached out for him. "He decided to take home a hurt bird he saw at the park. Poor thing died in the backseat." He said stroking Beckham's hair.

Melody sighed and hugged him close to her chest when she knew that her soft-hearted boy was crushed. Jamie looked up and pouted for her brother's broken heart. Christopher was too excited about everything else and Gracie was too young to understand what was going on and found the bright dress on the coffee table intriguing.

Melody looked at his face as he pulled back to look into his mother's eyes. "Why'd he have to go, Momma? It isn't fair, it just isn't fair!" He said stuffing his face back down into her shoulder as new tears began to set in.

Melody hugged him and took him down the hall towards the bathroom.

After he was clean and Melody had removed the leaves and scrubbed the dirt from his body, she put Beckham in his pajamas. After all that had happened she thought it would be best if he went to bed early tonight. She smiled at him as he played with the ear of his brown teddy bear and frowned feeling its softness.

"Okay, Bubba. Now that you're all clean and in your pjs, what story do you want to hear tonight?" She said stroking his cheek encouragingly.

Beckham looked up at her and sighed. "I don't want a story tonight, Momma." He said sadly.

Melody frowned and scooted beside him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she sat with him and hugged him softly, rubbing his back or shoulders. "I know how you're feeling right now, Beckham. Daddy and I've been through many heart aches but that brought us here. With you and your brother and sisters. Bub, I want you to know that everything happens for a reason, we may hate them and even change because of those happenings, but I want you to know that things always get better." She said placing her cheek on his clean blonde curls.

Beckham frowned as he thought of the nightmare he had the other night. "Momma, what if something ever happens to you or Daddy? Would things get better?" He asked; the vision of his mother and father fighting angrily and ending in MacTavish screaming at her and leaving them forever and Melody running off into nowhere.

Melody hugged him tight. "Bub, your Daddy and I will always be there for and with you. Nothing will keep us apart, baby." She said leaning down and kissing his cheek lovingly.

Beckham wanted his mother to sit with him all night, chase away the nightmares with her stories and comforting thoughts. But he knew she had Christopher, Jamie, Gracie, and John to attend to. As he watched Melody bend down and turn on the tractor nightlight he then bolted up from his blankets and looked at her.

"Wait, Momma! Can you tell me the story of the first time you worked with Daddy?" He asked not wanting her to leave his side.

Melody smiled and walked back to him and took her place. "Where do you want me to start, Beck?" She asked looking down at him and sat beside him as he scooted over.

"When it started getting good, Momma." He said with a small grin.

Melody chuckled. "Okay, where it started getting good…." She paused for a minute to think it over then found her place. "Right, so as Price, John, and I landed in the outskirts of North Korea we looked at the old, broke down storage building. We had been there to dig out some Intel on whereabouts of that mean old Makarov. The coast seemed clear as civilians stared at us from their homes when all of a sudden; a group of angry men come out of the entrance of the building. Your Daddy took out the first one quickly that raised their gun and from that point on it was battle. Price and John took down so many targets that you could've sworn you could see the dust fly in their fast movements. I was mad at your daddy for taking down all the targets I aimed at, so I tried to charge them to take all them out. All I had gotten out of that was a major headache and a yelling from John. So, when Price and John had finally taken out the army we creeped into the dark, creaking building. It was damp and mysterious; all there was in the room was overturned desks and bullet holes in the walls. It was clear that someone had been there before us. Rats crawled along the floors and stairs as we made it slowly and steadily up the stairs. When Price and I cleared the floor, your daddy ran down the creaky hall to the office and looked through the files.

"After endless searching I snuck into the computer and hacked into its old data base. And, low and behold, it was all there. Endless files of Makarov and his informants on one small disk. We couldn't have been happier. But, some of the others weren't so glad at what we had gotten our hands onto. They stormed in the building and held us at gun point. I tried to hide it from them but they saw the disk in my hand. They took me downstairs and demanded that I break the disk or I'd be shot immediately. They didn't want Price or John to help me, so that's why he took me downstairs. I refused and just as he was fixing to pull the trigger, I heard a loud Boom! There was Price with his M1911 pistol, smoke rising from the barrel.

After that, we took out all the remaining hostiles and there was Nikolai waiting for us at our exfil point. We were all safe and we had our information on Makarov. So, you heard enough, bub?" Melody finished and closed her mouth shut to see him fast asleep on her waist.

She smiled and carefully placed his head onto the pillow and tucked him in; bear resting under his arm. She stroked his hair and kissed his cheek lovingly. "I promise I will do everything to protect you, Beckham Jonathon." She whispered in his ear though she knew perfectly well that he couldn't hear her.

She sighed and walked to his door and turned off the main light and looked at his peacefully sleeping face once more before leaving it shut and walked down the hall where her family waited.

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><p><strong>AN: I know, I know; another time gap? I promise this will be the end of those. The story is settling with the kids in their kindergarten years or slightly younger.**

**The N00B: Sorry about that, I promise to make it more interesting, I was trying to get out all that had happened for the gang and the happy things that would lead up to future chapters. I'm sorry if I bored anyone to death. It's now getting close to the (hopefully, to you guys) exciting part and I promise there will be more of Simon and Avery and all them. Sorry for the boring and lifeless chapters :(**

**But, review please and let me know what you honestly think of this chapter. Thank you for reading and sticking along through the boring, slow story :P**


	26. Chapter 26: MacTavish the Match Maker?

Melody walked back in the room where her family was at. Christopher ran into his room to show Diamond his newest air craft jet toy while Gracie took her immediate spot in MacTavish's lap as he sat across from Diamond on the couch.

Melody walked over to Jamie who was still sitting at the table and had called her over. She stroked her hair as she read over the list her young, excited daughter wrote out for her. She smiled thinking of how blessed she was to have healthy and happy children and that she hadn't heard of anything from Jenna. It seemed too good to be true, that's why she secretly feared.

As Gracie's light green eyes sparkled with excitement as she flipped through pages of a large fashion catalog, MacTavish noticed Diamond's distant face and saw the look of depression in her features.

"What's wrong, Diamond? You look down." He asked reassuring the girl in his arms that he was still looking with a grin and tried to focus on Diamond's face as much as possible.

Diamond then softly shook her head and gave him a forced, weak grin to reassure him; it had failed extremely. "It's nothing. Trust me; nothing to stress about." She said trying to emphasize her point in that she did not want to talk about what was going through her mind.

MacTavish knew she was lying and that there was something bothering her. He always saw that look on her face sometimes but was busy with one of the kids to really be able to ask her. He arched an eyebrow at her and looked down at Gracie as she watched the two continue their conversation with wide and curious eyes.

"Diamond, come on, I've known you for over nearly ten years now. I know when you're lying; so, what's wrong?" He pressed as Gracie furrowed her small eyebrows in confusion. She reached out and patted her Auntie's knee as she had seen MacTavish done so with her, Melody, or Jamie.

"Auntie sad?" She questioned in her wavering soft voice.

Diamond grinned at the toddler and patted her small hand. "No, Gracie. Your Daddy just won't stay out of my business." She said reassuring the girl's thoughts then slowly looked up at MacTavish with a slight annoyed arched brow.

He rolled his eyes at her and continued to press on. "Just tell me, don't make me force you in front of Gracie." He joked with a crooked grin. Gracie glanced up at the mention of her name but just looked back down at the bright, shiny clothes on the slick paper.

"Fine! I just can't believe it's been so many years since Grinch… and the team." She said slowly and hesitantly as she stared down at Gracie and her chestnut brown curls; anything to avoid MacTavish's eyes as they slowly filled with sympathy and pity for his dear friend, well more like sister.

"Oh… Diamond, I'm sorry-"He then began to apologize knowing he must have brought back some unwanted memories for her when he made her spit it out.

He was interrupted as he saw Diamond slowly and hesitantly reach towards her chest and pull up something that had been hidden from view by her grey T-shirt. He arched an eyebrow as he saw a set of two, identical metal tags he knew as military dog tags since both he and Melody still wore them from time to time. The most curious object was the silver, clean ring placed carefully beside it.

Before he could ask, Diamond answered his thoughts as she stroked the old tags. "They were from Grinch; he wanted me to have them before he died." She said softly. Gracie might have been nearly three but she still managed to pick up some words and understand them. Diamond didn't feel up to explaining everything of her past.

MacTavish continued to stare at the ring and feel pity. This was why he and Melody never wanted to tell anyone when they were first engaged so long ago; he didn't want people to look at them with pity if something had happened to them. Especially if something happened to them both; they hadn't wanted some memory floating around their friends that they were the poor engaged couple who died. They wanted something different from that.

"So he wanted to marry you?" He asked as quietly as possible.

Diamond let out a breath through the nose letting the tags and ring clash together and clang once as they fell back onto her chest. "Yes and no. It was a promise ring; he wanted me to promise him to marry him after all that with Makarov was done…" She said hesitantly as she watched Gracie force her immediate attention to the two. Of all the stories and murmured words between the elders in her life, Gracie knew that name and how bad he was. Of course she hadn't known what he had exactly done to gain that tone of hatred and disgust when spoken about, but she knew he was a bad man.

MacTavish sighed. He knew exactly how Diamond must've been feeling all this time. He had been left with that same pain for three years every time he had seen her face or heard her name mentioned in conversations. Usually when Price or Dunn would make a statement like 'Even Melody wouldn't have tried that!' or 'Melody wouldn't even think about doing that kind of thing'. He wanted to hug her but wasn't sure if she'd like it. He decided to go ahead as Gracie squirmed herself down to her knees beside the coffee table and he leaned towards her.

Diamond arched an eyebrow at him then pushed him away with force. He rolled his eyes at her as he took Gracie in his arms again as she placed her palms on his knees, patting them softly which was the family's symbol that she wanted to but held; she was never much of a talker so she'd rather show them what she wanted.

"You've gotten soft, Soap. You're gonna have to go out; kick a puppy or something." She joked as Gracie giggled at the action between the two recently.

He rolled his eyes at her as Gracie tugged at his hand and pointed towards a soft pink summer dress on the page and smiled her toothy smile.

As Gracie showed the entire catalog of bright, new summer dresses, Christopher ran up to Melody and Jamie at the table with the green apple he had been nibbling on since he came home. He crawled into his mother's lap as she picked and messed with his sandy blonde curls and he puckered against the sour juice from the apple.

"So, what else did you boys and Daddy do today?" Melody asked twisting a curl around her index finger as Christopher excitedly looked up at her. His eyes were wide and the ice was full of wonder and humor at what he was going to say next.

"Daddy said a naughty word; right in front of us!" He said with an ear-to-ear smile.

Melody gasped softly then turned to look back at MacTavish who had become instantly interested in the dress Gracie was pointing at. Melody arched a brow at him.

"John, you know I don't want them to hear those words. You've already got the boys saying all your old Scottish words." She said softly with anger and humor thinking of her Scottish twins always finding new ways to be like MacTavish.

He shrugged with an innocent look. "What can I say? It slipped and don't you forget that you and Becca started Jamie when she was Gracie's age on calling the models in magazines skinny little…. never mind." He said with a stern grin then dropped it as he saw his wife's scowl.

Melody then looked back down at Christopher with a grin. "Well, I guess it leads to punishing Daddy? What do you think?" She jokingly said glancing at MacTavish who had chuckled softly at the two as Gracie crawled back over to Diamond's lap and showed the rest of the catalog to her since she could clearly see that he had lost interest now.

Christopher smiled and glanced at the floor then back at Melody with a grin that begged her to let him do what was in his thoughts. She knew what he thought and she grinned and pulled back her arms as the four year old laughed and jumped from the kitchen chair and ran towards the back of the couch and jumped over and clung to MacTavish as he hung on the back.

Melody smiled as MacTavish smiled and reached over and grabbed the boy and slung him over his shoulder carefully. Christopher laugh of half shock and half humor made the room so lively and bubbly. She was glad that her children were always so happy and had a bright smile glued to their faces. She thought that she had succeeded in giving her kids the opposite life of hers at their age.

As Melody stood in the kitchen cleaning a pile of dishes while the kids had already been asleep for two hours and Diamond almost four, MacTavish walked up behind her and tossed an orange in his palm a couple times before starting on the topic of conversation that had been stuck in his thoughts since talking with Diamond.

"Do you think Diamond would like Ramirez?" He then said suddenly as he watched Melody shake off some soap from her hands and looked at him with an arched brow.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a grin and a skeptical brow.

He shrugged and placed the orange back in the bowl on the table and stepped over towards her. "She's been depressed lately and even though she'd said she's fine or try to kill me; she needs someone in her life. Someone like Grinch." He said trying to persuade her as he stared into her chocolate brown eyes.

Melody sighed and wiped the remaining water and soap from her hands and wrists and wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his icy eyes. "I know you're looking out for her, but you should let her decide when she's ready. It took me nearly six years to get over Ronan and the rest of my squad when they died. She just needs time. Then she'll be the same old Diamond we all love and know." She said trying to calm his uneasy thoughts.

He sighed and placed his cheek against her warm neck and inhaled her perfume tinted skin. He wanted Diamond to know this happiness and to know that she had someone for her like he had Melody when she came home. "I know, but it's been nearly ten years. The kids are getting older and she still hasn't found anyone. I'm worried she'll make excuses until they're thirty about watching them. I'm only asking you because I thought you'd know who to pick better." He said looking into her eyes and kissed her forehead.

She grinned at him then turned back to her sink full of dishes as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kept her close to him as he watched her carefully wash a glass cup.

"Not Ramirez. Nothing wrong with him of course, but I'm not too sure about him and Diamond. But there's not very many single people we know for her, besides Derek." She said still using the name she had told him when they first met.

MacTavish grinned and kissed her jaw as she giggled and slapped him away with dish soap. He chuckled and turned her towards him so he could fully kiss her lips.

Jamie had snuck out after Melody had put her to bed and Christopher had now joined her as she secretly watched their parents play in the kitchen and watched MacTavish lean down and kiss her lips.

Jamie sighed dreamily and looked down at her younger brother who arched a suspicious brow at her.

"Isn't it sweet, Chris? Even after all these years and all the stories that happened to them, they're still happy and together." She whispered softly and wrapped an arm lovingly around his shoulder.

He peaked slowly over the corner and stared at them as MacTavish slowly leaned them both back as Melody's hand slipped and splashed them both with dish water, causing her to squeak and MacTavish chuckle.

"Why was Daddy trying to eat Momma?" He asked softly referring to their embrace just seconds before.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Oh never mind. Men, they have the emotional range of a rock." She said annoyed and waved him off back to his bedroom where Beckham was softly snoring in his own bed.

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><p><strong>AN: **I know right, Jamie? Lol, just kidding. I'm sorry if this was boring again :P I promise it will get interesting soon. That is, if you don't want Diamond moments or Simon and Avery moments then the next chapter will have where it gets better. No? I thought not... hahaha

Chapter Question: So, it looks as though Beckham's having some nightmares and Jamie's, Mikey's, and Michaela's kindergarten graduations are only days away and what about MacTavish the Match Maker? Will he be successful or end in a disastrous end? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and please review! :D


	27. Chapter 27: When She Loved Me

Avery sat on the second to the last step outside her house as she felt the warm, calming breeze tussled her hair across her face as she tried to concentrate on the boring book she had to read. Her mind was too full to concentrate on the literature in her palms even though her most favorite past time was reading. She was now twelve years old and she became nervous each day as realization dawned on her that it was a matter of months until she was really a teenager. Time had passes way too fast and she went from being that toddler in the park to almost grown.

She groaned and slammed the book into her face. The odor of the ink and paper filled her nose and made her thoughts seem light. She had been thinking about her mother and her old friend. When she was younger she didn't really think about Anna's absence but now that she was almost a teen she couldn't help but wonder about her and wish she was there when she'd overhear some of her friends or classmates talking about their mothers. For some, they were annoying them by looking into their personal lives or whatever mothers did. She got mad at the girls; they had no idea how lucky they were. They have a mother and she thought them to be even luckier to have a mother that cares. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like if Melody didn't care about her since she thought of her like a mother.

She sighed thinking of her. Ever since Jamie-Lynn had been born she and Avery hadn't been able to really be together and talk like she loved to do. She cared for the young kids, all of them, as if they were her own siblings, but there was always that non-belonging feeling she'd get when she would watch them interact with each other. It hurt her now thinking of Jamie's or one of the other kid's happy faces when Melody would be around or hug them. She wondered if her mother would've had that much effect on her like Melody did to those children. She wondered if she would've ever brightened at her mother's kind and warm smile.

She forced another thought into her mind when she felt a tear begin to knock on her cheek; announcing its appearance and she began to think of her old friend, Kyle Davenport. It had been years since she heard of him and she wondered what had happened to him. She missed him all the time; he was the only one who had understood her and knew how she had felt about her mother. He hadn't known her very well but he knew he loved her no matter what. Another thing they had in common. Kyle hadn't known his father though; he had said that he passed away when he was just a toddler. Avery scoffed thinking that the boy knew more about his parents than she her own. Well, besides her father of course.

That brought new thoughts into her crammed mind. She knew Simon was to be home almost an hour ago, but he hadn't shown yet. His girlfriend, Avery still thought it was even weird to think of him in a relationship, had broken it off nearly a year ago when she knew Avery was going to be a teenager soon and decided she was too young to handle her and the gray hairs she somehow suspected would come on the girl's thirteenth birthday. He hadn't really shown any emotion; Avery felt bad for wondering if he even cared about her leaving. She hated that she felt pride in her father still broken-hearted about Anna's absence. She wanted her father to be happy and see that wonderful smile that she heard about from Blake. Even Melody, his dear friend, couldn't get him to smile with so much emotion in it.

She then began to think about her dream the other night and the night before. She wanted so dearly to believe it was a memory but she knew she would've been too young to remember something like that, even if it was the best memory she could've had.

"_Sshh, calm down, baby. I know Daddy's gone but we can't all be crying, huh?" Anna said softly as she cuddled her small four month old daughter in her arms as the setting sun casted orange-red rays into the kitchen where she stood._

_The moaning child hadn't calmed since she woke from her nap previously. Anna was already high-strung at the moment after watching the news and hearing about the chaos that always seemed to play in the world. She was also worried about the message on her answering machine. She didn't know the man and wondered why he said they'll meet incredibly soon. _

_Her nerves had always been easily pricked before but she couldn't understand why she felt so terrified and worried as she held the girl in her arms. She knew Simon would've wanted her to be strong and calm her thoughts before she burst into hysterics. _

_She took a deep, slow breath through the nose then looked down at Avery's face. "I know you won't understand or remember any this, but I want you to know how much I absolutely love you, Avery Brooke Riley." She said softly to her then kissed her cheek._

_Their sweet moment was interrupted when Anna's attention was directed to a screeching outside her home and a large man with scars on his face step out of his vehicle. Anna didn't like the feeling she got when she looked into the man's face so she carefully placed Avery in her crib sitting in the living room and answered the door._

Avery decided to end it there when she knew what was coming up. The gasp and the gun shot ringing in the tense atmosphere. She knew it couldn't have possibly been a real memory since her mother had passed away because her heart had failed her, but still. She found it hard to really believe in anything anymore.

As she stared down at her feet, thinking of Anatoly and his final acts of kindness, she heard loose rocks and cement shift as a vehicle pulled into the driveway. By the sound of the fast and upbeat music she could tell it was Blake.

She looked up and tucked her loose hair behind her ear as she saw her loveable uncle step out and then her father on the other side. She smiled. It was about time he had come home.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to show." She joked stuffing the book into her book bag the stood up to walk towards him.

Simon smiled seeing his daughter before him. He couldn't get over how old she had gotten and now the pain of his wife's absence seem to be more imminent when Avery was a spitting image of her. He watched as she walked up to him and he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and felt her warmth. He felt old as he smelt a slight scent of lavender body spray. He felt a small glint of depression when he questioned where the little girl who begged to wear jeans and play roughly with her classmates when.

Blake looked over at the two and grinned. "So, Aves, you're gonna be thirteen soon. You lookin' forward to being a teenager?" He asked with an arched teasing eyebrow.

Avery just scoffed. "Absolutely not. Dad, can I be a kid again?" She joked looking at her uncle then up into Simon's face with a joking grin.

He chuckled at her and kept his arm around her shoulders as they began to walk into the house. "Of course, besides, you're grounded until you're thirty if you grow up." He joked hearing her melodic laugh. Simon felt something tug in his heart when he realized that she had gained the same giggle Anna had. He wished so much he could hear that laugh come from her lips just once more. But he knew it was impossible. He forced himself to cheer up as he looked at his daughter's face.

"So, how'd your session go today?" Simon asked sitting on the couch with a grunt.

Avery slightly tensed and pulled out some thick books from her bag. She didn't want to tell her father what had happened. It was the same, except for the part when she began telling her doctor about her dreams of her mother's death. He thought it could be her conscience just biting at her because she felt as if it was her fault of the woman's death. But Avery thought that made absolutely no sense!

"Fine, I'm just glad tomorrow's my last session. I'd have to have my first date telling him how crazy I am." She joked and pulled out her pencil to begin on her homework.

Simon arched an eyebrow at her but let it slide. He knew that topic would be coming soon, but still. He didn't like to think of any boys around his Avery. He just prayed she wouldn't find someone like him at his age. He was wild and full of imagination. That's what things complicated for them at some points. But, it was apparent that things did work out after a while. Well somewhat.

* * *

><p>"Mom, I can't do this. I'm sorry; I'm just not like you." Kyle said hesitantly as he looked upon his mother's angered face.<p>

She said nothing but grabbed his elbow tight and drug him towards her cork board on the wall with their targets faces on it. She forced him to look at the one with the young girl with long dark brown hair and blue-green eyes; underneath the picture was the name in bold.

**Avery B. Riley**

"You remember her? I told you that if we don't stop Johnston then she'll be dead they'll all be dead! She's a betrayer and even though I've warned them all of her wicked ways, they idiotically chose to defend the stuck-up, little bitch!" She whispered angrily, venom making her words painful and cold.

Kyle felt like crying, just breaking down and crying for hours. But, he knew what that would mean to his mother. Crying is for the weak. He didn't want to be weak in her eyes, but he wished so dearly that she was back to her old self. The woman he knew who used to hug him tight and give him kisses for just looking at her. He knew his real mother was dead and left this cold-hearted, bitter woman in her body. He knew why she was like that, but he didn't want to be doing all this. Suicidal hunts for recruits of her own, killing innocent people, and all this to kill one woman she once used to be close to. It confused him.

But, he continued to go on for both her and Avery. He hadn't seen her since they were about ten but he still missed her and wished she was with him again. He sighed thinking of her then looked at his mother.

"Mom, I know you miss and love Dad. But don't you think this is all too much? She's made peace with her demons and they have families now; children. It won't bring him back. Don't you know that?" He begged with her to end her madness like every night, but he knew she never would. But what she did next he had no idea of.

Jenna quickly turned and slapped her palm quickly and swiftly against his right cheek. He gasped and felt his knees buckle from underneath him as he reached out for something sturdy to position himself against as he looked up in fear and shock. Jenna looked as though she were about to break now as she stared at her hand and looked at her son's terrified face.

All she could see was herself as a little girl; terror and pain strong in her features and the tears streaming down her cheeks. She became her worst nightmare; she was becoming her father. Taking out anger on the closet being around. She never wanted that; her sister had risked her life for her so she couldn't become like that. It was a known fact that if she or both had been caught he would've been so drunk and angry he probably would've killed them. It was too obvious; even the neighbors knew but said nothing.

Kyle quickly wiped the tears from his face in fear that she would get angry seeing the boy so weak and vulnerable. Jenna then backed up to a table in shock and took in gasped, sharp breaths. He wanted to help his mother so he stood up and took a slow step towards her. She then lashed out on him again but kept her hands locked behind her back and screamed at him.

"Leave me alone and go to your room!" She ordered in a loud, cracking voice.

He cursed himself for jumping at her tone but obeyed her in fear that if he didn't she'd hit him again. He rushed down the halls of the large home they currently lived in and practically crawled up the stairs toward his bedroom.

Once inside he slammed the door shut and locked it. He looked around his familiar, white-walled room. The ceiling was slanted, caving in towards the window of the view of the front yard. A casual bed sat in the middle of the room, pressed against the wall while pictures hung everywhere on the walls. If they weren't posters from his favorite bands or movie characters, they were of his friends along the years. He kept his special photos near his bed in frames, sitting on the night stand.

He slowly walked to his bed and ran a hand over the navy blue blanket and clean white pillow. He sighed plopping down and turned on his side, placing his warm ringing ear to the cold fabric. He stared at the picture of his family that was taken what seemed like centuries ago. He was about three at the time and his mother and father happily smiled at the camera. He couldn't help but grin remembering slightly how good things used to be between the three before the one day he was told his parents had to go out of town for a while. Had he known that that was the last time he'd really see his mother and father then he would have hugged them and told them how much he loved them.

He sighed and heard the screaming from his mother and angry Russian. Something must've gone wrong and she was furious at mistakes that were clearly unintended. He forced his eyes shut and thought about something, anything. He thought about Avery and her smile. He smiled along and thought about his best friend as he slowly fell asleep on the pillow.

Even amongst the yelling and pain, he could find anything to make him feel peaceful and at ease.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Poor Kyle :( I feel bad for putting him in all Jenna's craziness. So, this chapter is basically grieving times for both Avery and Kyle as they both are becoming teenagers and are stuck in a world of ... well craziness. I always loved writing about these two characters more than the main characters. I dunno, something about kind of "raising" a tween character at the time in their lives where its "ifs ands or buts" and decisions. Know what I mean? Lol, probably not so anyway.

Chapter Question: How is Avery going to cope with her sudden dream/maybe-memories and will Kyle be able to stand against Jenna's pain-filled wrath? And what about Jenna, will she go absolutely mad or break from the stress and terror of becoming her father?

To be answered and stay tuned! Oh yeah, review please! ;D


	28. Chapter 28: What Goes Bump In the Night

Drew's_ long strawberry blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she brushed young Melody's wet hair. It was quiet in the living room now a days and it seemed impossible to get the girl to talk. Drew thought about just a week ago it was so lively in the small one-story apartment; she thought about Melody being her usual bubbly and hyper self and talking somebody's ear off about the bright pink dress that she wanted from the store in town. But now, since Melanie had passed and her infant daughter was sleeping safely in her crib in the other room, it was quiet. _

_Melody usually wore a smile and her eyes twinkled and her cheeks were a joyful rose, but now she was pale and her chocolate brown eyes showed nothing but pain and abandonment. How badly Drew wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be fine, but she wasn't so sure if she could keep that promise. There was no telling what Benjamin would do to this young, poor girl once she was behind the walls of his secrets and lies._

_She still wore her pajamas after her bath and Drew was going to get her dressed in her nice clothes and dry her hair to fix it when they both heard the heart-stopping screech outside the door. Drew felt her heart drop to her stomach and race as she looked down at Melody. Her eyes were wide in terror and she clung so tightly to Drew's arms that she squinted against Melody's piercing long fingernails. Drew placed a hand on Melody's head and gave her a forced encouraging smile as she went to the door._

_She didn't want to open the door and calmly invite these men inside to take Melody away from her to that god-forsaken building that she knew was awful for someone her age. But, knowing she had to since she wasn't her real family or guardian so she couldn't resist it in anyway. She turned the knob and looked at the tall man with the dark black sunglasses. He looked fairly old, maybe in his late seventies or mid-eighties. He gave her a half-hearted grin before stating his business._

"_Ms. Bayley, correct? I'm here to collect the daughter, Melody." He said in a stern and interested tone._

_Drew frowned at the man and glanced back at Melody who had now ducked under the arm of the couch to hide from the men. She had stuck her head out slightly to shake her head stiffly, eyes begging that she said no; refuse to let them in. Drew prayed that the girl wouldn't hate her and stepped aside as the man and one of his comrades stepped inside, telling the man outside to wait for a while; it might take some time to get the girl to come with them._

_The older gentlemen cocked his head to the side and squatted beside the girl with a grunt. "Hello there, Melody. Are you ready to come live with your Daddy?" He asked with an encouraging grin and low, calm tone._

_Melody felt like crying as she backed into the wall and her eyes grew wide as she shook her head stiffly in complete fear. "No! I don't want to go to him! Please don't make me go there!" She screamed, pleading with the shocked man._

_The man looked at her and sighed. His face showed a remembrance, as if he had known her before or someone like her. His mind whirled with old memories of a particular group he worked with that seemed so long ago, but also like it was yesterday. "Look, Melody. I know you don't want to leave your home because you're scared. Not just of going to your father's who you don't even know, but because if you leave you feel you'll have no family. I knew a young woman just like that a long time ago. Before your mother was even born. All she had was her younger brother, but when he passed away, she was afraid that she'd never have a family with her anymore and she was scared." He began his story staring into her deep chocolate eyes._

_Melody grew interested in what the man had to say so she forced herself to calm down and sat on the ground against the wall; wrapping her arms around her knees she stared back at him. "What did the woman do…Sir?" She asked remembering the respectful way of addressing someone from her mother._

_He smiled at her. "She met three new men and she found that she had a new family and good friends that would always be there. They may not have been blood-related but she thought of them as her family. Things get so much better even if things seem at their worst. Be strong, promise me you will. I don't want this to be hard for you, okay?" He said encouragingly patting her hand._

_Melody sighed and nodded. She knew she had to leave today, but it felt so confusing and things were changing too quickly. As Drew stepped over and mournfully held Melody's duffle bag in her hand, Melody lost it and broke into bitter tears, clinging to Drew's thigh._

"_Melody, you have to let go now. I promise things will be better just as I said a second ago. But, it's time to let go. You'll see all your friends and family on visiting days and holidays like all the other children there. Okay?" He said placing a hand on her shoulder._

_Melody sniffed once and stepped away from Drew knowing she was making things harder for both of them. Her lip quivered as she watched the older man beside her take her bag and place a hand on her shoulder began to lead her out the door. It was when she took one final glance at Drew let go of her calm nature and forced act._

_She began to ran over to Drew and never let her go. "No! Not okay! Not okay!" She screamed as she reached for Drew the same time the other man that came in with the older gentlemen grabbed her waist and carried her like a potato sack._

"_Drew! Please, help me, Drew! Drew!" She screamed through tears seeing the blurry image of her nanny appear at the doorframe._

_Drew stood there mournfully and placed a hand over her mouth as sobs shook her body and tears streamed down her face. She couldn't stand to hear the girl beg and holler for her to not let them take her, but she knew there was nothing she could do to help her. Unable to keep it together anymore as she saw Melody's frightened figure appear in the back window; hands pressed against the window and banging on it for her attention and her muffled pleas, she hurriedly went back inside where she finished her vicious tears._

Melody sat up straight with a gasp as the dream-memory returned all those sudden emotions at once. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face with sweat and her heart raced in her chest. She looked over at the time and noticed it was exactly three thirty-two in the morning. She let out a huffed breath and looked over at her slumbering husband. She smiled seeing his usual position of his arm across his face as she snoring proceeded as if to make the moment more amusing.

She knew she was never going to go back to sleep so she wrapped her robe around her and softly kissed MacTavish's forehead as she stepped outside. She took a quick roam down the hall of her children's bedrooms. After the dream she felt as if she'd find one come up short so the thought made her nervous and scared.

She looked into Jamie's room to find her resting peacefully with a _Junie B. Jones' _children's book tucked under her arm. She smiled and stepped inside removing the book and placing it on the shelf. She smiled as she noticed she had been recently falling asleep like MacTavish; one arm either slung across her face or chest. She tucked the covers closer to her chest and softly kissed her head before disappearing back into the hallway.

Melody furrowed her eyebrows when she heard a soft repeated thud come from one room and a child's irrepressible giggle. She arched a brow as she knew that sound as if someone was jumping on a mattress. She followed the sound to Gracie's room where she saw the two year old jumping happily on her bed. Melody arched a brow at her and grinned.

"Gracie Jesselyn, what are you doing out of bed?" She asked as the little girl smiled and fell back onto her small bedroom.

Melody walked over and brushed off her chestnut curls and looked into her light green eyes. "I tucked you in hours ago, how long have you been up?" She asked bringing her to her chest since she knew Gracie would crawl in her lap eventually. It was strange, Gracie's love for sitting in someone's lap.

Gracie pointed to the window and glanced up at Melody. When Melody said nothing Gracie pointed harder at the window and slightly whimpered to show something was scaring her.

"Aw, are you scared of the noises? I can promise you, baby, there's nothing out that window except trees and animals. You're perfectly fine." She said kissing her head and laying her on her back and pulled the covers over her.

Gracie shook her head five times and pointed at the window again with fear in her eyes, hoping her mother would understand what she was pointing at.

Melody arched a brow, she wanted to calm her youngest child's fears but she didn't know what they were. "What is it, sweetie? Are you scared of faces?" She said thinking of some people she would imagine to look through her window.

Gracie shook her head. "No, no, no," She said knowing she couldn't show her her problem. "Bad mens, Mommy. Makawov." She said fearfully, still having trouble with her 'r's.

Melody couldn't help but feel unnerved that her two year old knew that name and the man. Melody forced her best smile and placed a hand on her soft, warm cheek. "Grace, Makarov is far gone and will never hurt this family ever again, okay? Like I said, you're safe and warm with your Daddy and I. Now, you need to get some sleep, you'll be grumpy tomorrow. And you're just like Daddy when he's grumpy. We don't want to be that hateful now do we?" She joked tucking her in and switching the night light on the wall beside the bed. Melody remembered the time MacTavish had called her mentally-disabled. At the time, it had hurt her for anyone to call her that. She had been tired of being judged for her past and being immediately labeled as a freak from strangers who had no idea who she really was.

Gracie smiled and laid against her pillow to fall back asleep as Melody left the door open with a crack. She sometimes snuck out of her room to go sleep in Melody and MacTavish's bed. Sometimes Melody would wake up in the morning to find Gracie sleeping peacefully with her head against MacTavish's chest.

'Daddy's girl.' She thought remembering all the times Gracie ran to MacTavish or snuck out to sleep with her head on his chest, hugging him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively.

She made her last stop to the boys' room and looked in. Beckham still slept peacefully on his side with his bear tucked under his arm and the corner of his lip twitched. Melody smiled; another thing she had shared with the boy. She looked over at Christopher and sighed softly as she saw him staring down at the covers with a half guilty look and half depressed.

She walked over and sat on the bed in front of him, forcing him to look up. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked knowing he was troubled by something.

He shrugged showing he was trying to pass it off as something unimportant, whatever it was. "It was nothing, just a stupid dream." He mumbled hoping she wouldn't catch it.

Melody grinned; the boy was just like MacTavish, mumbling something so she wouldn't catch it. "What was it about? Sometimes it helps to tell about it, maybe I can help you." She said sitting beside him and hugged his shoulders encouragingly.

He sighed. "I dreamt that Bubba and I were playing in the front yard. But when I looked over to him he was gone. I looked everywhere and spotted him with a tall figure. I did nothing, I just stood there scared. When I went to tell you and Daddy you got so mad that you left me; took Jamie and Gracie and left me at the house because the wrong twin had disappeared. It was my fault Bubba was missing in the dream and I did nothing to help him. And you and Daddy hated me." He said near tears.

Melody could feel her heart break in her chest. She felt broken that she couldn't keep those kind of fears from her children's dreams. She brought him to her lap and hugged him tightly against her chest. "Sweetie, you don't have to worry about any of that happening to us. We're going to be fine and if something that terrible happened then you can bet that we'd never blame you or get mad. We'd be looking for him twenty-four seven, seven days a week. Promise me you won't think about that kind of thing again, okay sweetheart?" She said hugging him protectively. She felt as though she failed in protecting her young boys from the terrible world of guilt and pain she and MacTavish lived in when they watched and experienced pain and the agonizing biting of guilt from lost team mates.

Christopher said nothing but squirmed from his mother's arms and laid back against his pillow again, feeling slightly hopeful of the dream never coming true but still having fears.

Melody looked at his heart broken face and bent down to kiss his cheek when he turned and avoided her sad eyes. She let out a breath through the nose and tucked him in, stroking his sandy curls before leaving his room.

As Melody walked down the hall with a she felt something then brush against her leg. She jumped slightly and looked down to her feet to find the fat, coal black kitten stare up at her with innocent eyes.

She bent down and picked him up careful to not hit his dislocated arm. "Looks like everyone's up this morning, huh Lenny?" She said remembering the name Jamie had given the kitten when he first came here almost two weeks ago.

He purred against her arms and dug his claws softly into her shirt since he was still scared of heights. Melody smiled and sat on the couch in the living room with the cat in her lap, stroking its thick soft fur.

"At least I have someone to keep me company." She said softly as she watched the cat's eyes flutter at each stroke and laid his head against her left arm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I know, another update. I'm just excited to get all this done and over with so I can concentrate fully on the rest of my school work. I've been kinda falling behind... Confessions! :D

Chapter Question: So why are all the kids having bad dreams and why is little Gracie warning of Makarov out the window? Will they come true or all they all just fears from stories and if so, is it time to stop the war stories and go to the three little pigs?

Review please and stay tuned!


	29. Chapter 29: The Graduation Part 1

"Grandpa, are you a superhero?" Mikey asked sitting in front of him two hours before they had to leave for the kindergarten graduation of his, his sister's, and his "cousins". Becca had just finished fixing his hair. He wore a blue and white sweater vest and tan khakis and nice dress shoes on his feet. He thought he looked like a monkey but Becca had been in control of their clothing for the graduation. He knew he was going to end up hating it in the first place.

Price looked at the boy's face with an arched brow and unbelieving smirk. "No, I'm far from that, son. We're only human," He said ruffling his hair as he walked by busy with something at the moment.

Mikey watched him and gasped softly. Price watched as the boy flew down the hallway and into the living room next to the door. As Price straightened his tie, Mikey came back in with Price's old boonie hat in his hands. "You can't forget this, Grandpa. It's like your cape!" He said with a toothy smile.

Price chuckled and placed it on a hook in the room. "No, not for tonight. Both your Grandma and mother will kill me," He said taking his shoulder and led him from the room.

"What are Grandma and Momma doing? They've been in there almost an hour!" Mikey exclaimed as they past Rachel and Price's bedroom where Becca was inside talking to her mother.

Price shrugged. "Don't know, kid. C'mon, let's go back in the living room with Michaela and Dunn," He said absentmindedly questioning himself but let it roll off his shoulders.

Mikey ran in the room and saw Dunn holding Michaela on his lap as she laid her head against his chest. Sometimes she acted as if she was grown but sometimes it was easy to see the little six year old girl come out as she cuddled against him.

He jumped up and sat on his knees beside them and hugged Dunn's neck before talking. "Can't we just leave, Daddy? I wanna graduate and go to first grade! Please!" He said impatiently and leaned against his shoulder pulling on his best pout like he had seen Michaela do when she wanted something badly from Dunn.

He arched an eyebrow at the boy. "We can't just yet. We gotta wait for your Grandma and Momma. Then we can leave, don't worry, Mikey, they won't graduate without ya," He said ruffling his gelled hair.

Becca and Rachel then walked in and Becca groaned and rolled her eyes as she saw Mikey's messy hair.

* * *

><p>"There, the last curl. Now you're all ready for graduation," Melody said proudly smiling at her work as Jamie looked at herself in the mirror.<p>

She gasped and immediately turned to wrap her arms around her mother's waist. "Momma it's perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can fully look like a princess!" She said hopping down from the bar stool she had been sitting on and gave a twirl to see her skirt glide underneath her.

Melody smiled and took her hand. "Well we gotta get going, Jamie. Don't want to be late, now do we?" She said switching off the bathroom light and placed the un-plugged curling iron into the drawer.

Jamie gasped. "We can't be late, Mommy!" She said then sped down the hallway and disappeared behind the corner.

Melody laughed and looked at herself in the mirror. She bit her lip as she could still see the dark pink scar across her left eye. She hated the thing so much and the scars from Anatoly. She sighed remembering everything that had happened those years she was there.

"Mells, Jamie is commanding you to hurry up before they give her diploma to some other kindergartener," MacTavish said walking in with a crooked grin and looked at his wife. He saw her troubled face and he sighed as he watched her stare at her scars.

"You're fine, Melody. Come on, let's go enjoy the kids' graduation and mourn with the other parents," He joked taking her hand and pulled her close to him.

Melody forced her best believable smile and followed him out the bathroom and into the living room where Christopher and Beckham sat with identical dark blue polo shirts and tan slacks. The only thing that showed a difference would be that Beckham wore a black jacket and Christopher his favorite white coat.

She smiled at them as Christopher drew his hand back from his neatly combed hair. He hated his hair like that and preferred it messy so he wouldn't have to worry about it. Beckham smiled and ran over to his mother.

"I didn't have the dream last night, Mommy! Isn't it great?" He said happily.

Melody smiled at her young son and took his hand. "Of course it is! I think we'll all be able to enjoy ourselves tonight. Won't we?" She said and glanced over at Jamie who was holding Gracie's hand as MacTavish was outside and hadn't wanted Gracie to wander in the dark outside, even though she whined and pointed towards the door; motioning for MacTavish.

Melody walked over and picked up the toddler. "Don't worry, Gracie. Daddy will be back in a second. Can you see him?" She said holding her close and looking at her chestnut curls that were pulled up in a braided bun on the back of her head.

Gracie smiled and pointed out towards the car and looked up at her face to see if she had gotten it right. When Melody said yes, she beamed a toothy smile and happily laughed as she saw MacTavish come back up and kiss her cheek as he took her in his arms.

"Will Auntie Diamond be there, Momma?" Christopher then asked behind them as he and Beckham sat on the couch, messing with their toy cars.

"Yes, she wouldn't miss this for the world," She said reassuring the boy. He had always been close to Diamond as MacTavish had been. He was always watching MacTavish and taking notes on being just like him every day; Melody thought that he was going to get a Mohawk and turn it the same inky black as MacTavish's and Jamie's before long.

"Come on! Let's go, hurry; c'mon, c'mon!" Jamie called out from the front door impatiently.

Beckham frowned at her and hopped down from the couch. "If she says hurry one more time, I'm turning her into a boot!" He said under his breath at his older sister's annoying impatience.

* * *

><p>"I just don't see why I have to do this, Mom. I don't want to," Kyle said looking straight at the parking lot in front of them and carefully spotting his mother's expression beside him.<p>

She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are going to do this, Kyle! I'm tired of asking and to be honest, you're getting on my nerves with all this. Just do it, get it over with, and you can do whatever you want. I don't care what, you just have to do this," She said with an expression and tone that said she's explained the same story over and over again.

He sighed and looked at the model car in his hand. "Are you sure one of them like these kinds of toys? If not, then what do I do to lure him in?" He asked looking at the red sports car and the white pin stripes.

"Then you'll just have to figure out what they like. Just get one of them. It'll weaken them and we'll finally be able to kill them all. Or at least a few, I don't care," She thought aloud and inhaled a deep breath through the nose.

Kyle nodded to himself and thought about this mission his mother wanted him to do. It seemed wrong and he didn't want to do it. But, she would lock him up and he wouldn't see any of his friends or go to school for who knows how long. He desired times in school or with his friends because it was at least a few hours of peace. No talking of killing, plotting, and researching.

A thought then popped into his head. He wondered if his father had ever been in this situation and if he was, he wondered what he had done. He knew he had been corrupted by the man Anatoly; though Jenna denied it. He knew of the plan to blow up the school bus. He just couldn't believe that the man he remembered in faint memories could be so cold-hearted.

Jenna motioned him to lay low as more cars began to pull into the parking lot they waited in. He could see families with either old or young children. Jenna thought this to be the perfect night for them to strike. Everyone would be busy with the children or the event and with the big crowd it would be easy for a small boy or girl to squirm through and outside. She thought it to be a perfect way in revealing her existence and the existence of her revenge.

As she saw the group, she immediately glared at the chestnut-haired woman who held one of the boys in a dark black jacket. She watched them as Melody kissed his cheek and held him close. She knew she wouldn't have a favorite child and that anyone of them would've been perfect.

She leaned over and softly slapped Kyle's arm to get his attention and pointed at the family and the boy in her arms.

He arched a brow then slowly realized what she was motioning about. "You want me to lure that one? But, they're identical. What if I get confused?" He whispered staring into her light blue eyes with his identical crisp blue.

"The one in her arms is wearing a black jacket. Make sure when you have that he's wearing a black jacket," She said looking into his eyes.

He sighed and nodded his head in agreement. He didn't like it, but he knew he wouldn't be able to manage a way out of this plan this time. Not like the other times he had to do missions for his mother. Other times she had back up, now it was just the two on their own. He still didn't like the idea.

He rested his head against the seat and stared out the sunroof. It was already getting dark and a few stars were already peeking out of the gray clouds. He frowned; it was going to rain. He hated the rain; it was depressing and always made the day more solemn and slow. He looked forward to fast days.

He couldn't help but think about his friends and Avery at some point while waiting. He decided to pick at some memories. He thought about when he tried out for the football team and made a fool of himself. He thought about when he tried out for soccer; it was clear that soccer was meant for him. And he thought about the first time he met Avery when they were either about six or seven.

"_Do you have you crayons?" The slightly elder woman asked tucking the backpack tightly on his shoulders._

"_Yes, Mrs. Miller. I know the drill. I have all my stuff." Six year old Kyle said assuring the foster home owner he had lived with for almost three months now._

_She smiled and patted his cheek. "Just want to make sure everything's perfect for your first day of first grade." She said mainly to herself as Kyle looked back at the school bus rounding the corner._

"_Thanks, Mrs. Miller. See ya later!" He called waving to her as he ran over to the bus stop._

_The bus was full with children of all ages. The older gentlemen that sat driving the vehicle looked down at him with a scornful frown. Another rowdy kid to yell at. Kyle looked upon the endless aisles and children sitting side-by-side chattering loudly with each other and he noticed that the farther down it went the older the passengers became._

"_Well, you coming or not!" The older man said clearly annoyed as the boy stood only a foot from the doors._

_Kyle felt his cheeks warm. He was nervous about being on the bus with the other kids. His last foster parent used to drive him to school instead of taking the bus. He gulped and slightly jumped as the doors behind him slung shut._

"_W-Where do I sit?" He whispered to the bus driver nervously._

"_I don't care! Just find a seat and sit down!" He said waving him off in an aggravated tone._

_Kyle nodded stiffly and immediately set off slowly down the long, narrow aisle. He looked left and right and noticed that they were all full or some sat there backpack on the seat, claiming they were saving it for someone else. He wondered if he'd been able to even sit with someone his age as he looked down the aisle of the younger kids._

"_You wanna sit here? Plenty of room." He then heard a voice come to his left as he passed by one of the seats._

_He looked over and saw a small, thin girl in a pair of denim jeans and a bright pink shirt. Her eyes were a blue-green and he thought her encouraging smile was inviting. He gave her a nervous grin then plopped down beside her which made her giggle._

"_My name's Avery." She said offering her small hand to him as he laid his backpack down by his feet._

_His hands felt sweaty and her grinned and took her hand in his. "Kyle. Nice to meet you, Avery." He murmured and drew his hand back after two shakes._

_Avery smiled and tried to hide that she was wiping her hand on her pant leg then leaned back to look at the window. "Is this your first time on the bus? It's my first. My Daddy or Auntie would take me to school in their car." She said starting conversation with him._

_He played with the loose thread at the hem of his blue T-shirt. "Yeah, it's my first. My foster parents used to take me by car too. What about your momma? Didn't she take you?" He asked wondering if she didn't have her mother around like his mother._

_Avery's welcoming smile then faded into a look of despair and depression. "No, she died when I was just a baby. My Auntie took care of me and my Daddy since I was about three. What about you? Does your momma come and pick you up?" She asked clicking her heels together and hoped to move the topic from herself._

_He shared the same expression as Avery shown and looked down at his backpack between his knees. "My mom and dad took off about a couple years ago for some kind of recruit thing. They'll be back though, so I can't wait for that." He said hoping she wouldn't pity him._

_She smiled warmly. "That's great. It's awful to have missing parents." She said matter-of-factly._

_Kyle smiled back._

_Their conversation was the regular six year old talk after that. The newest toy in the stores and what was to be in store during first grade. Kyle smiled as the school bus had stopped; school hadn't even started yet and he already had a friend. He was glad and hoped they would be in the same class._

Kyle smiled at the memory. Thankfully, they had been in the same class and things had been good for the two until they were about in third grade. Things were complicated after that for both of them and he hadn't seen her since. He wished he could, but he knew how much his mother would hate that.

He closed his eyes and tried to catch some sleep before he did this minor mission Jenna was making him do. Jenna looked at him as he slowly fell asleep and placed a hand on his shoulder softly.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I never wanted this kind of life, but you're the only one I trust." She whispered, barely audible, towards him knowing he was already out to even hear.

Kyle stared at his eyelids as he took in what Jenna had just said. He wanted to wake up and turn and hug her neck. He knew that was the old Jenna inside and he hadn't seen her in years. But, she only said so because she thought he was asleep. It would probably make her mad that he wasn't really asleep. He just sighed quietly and finally let sleep take him for just a couple hours.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Poor Kyle, Momma's still there. Deep down, yes but she's there. The graduation is finally here and Jenna is dragging Kyle into another of her missions.

Chapter Question: What is Jenna plotting and why is Kyle so scared? Will all go well for the Task Force and family and will Beckham's dreams stay away, along with the others?

Stay tuned and review please!

Thanks for reading!


	30. Chapter 30: The Graduation Part 2

MacTavish stood in the back with Rachel and Price while Melody held Gracie in her arms. While in the middle of a conversation, he quickly excused himself and ran towards the door where he saw Diamond walk in. Melody arched a brow at his peculiar excitement. She knew it wasn't good when he was that excited about something.

"Diamond! Hey, I was wondering if you were ever going to make it or not." He said with a grin as he walked up to her.

She grinned at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not here for you so don't get excited, Scotty." She joked arching a brow at him.

"Auntie Diamond!" Christopher's glass-breaking scream bounded across the room and they immediately saw the blonde four year old running as fast as his legs could go. Diamond smiled as the boy jumped up to her and she grunted.

"You're getting big, boy. Almost knocked me over." She said resisting the urge to ruffle his hair like she always did.

Christopher beamed at her. "Would I be able to knock over Russians like you, Daddy, and Momma did in the stories?" He asked hopefully.

Diamond glanced up at MacTavish who gave a sorrowful smile. They all hated that the kids were already thinking of stepping in their footsteps and becoming soldiers. At the moment, the twins, Mikey, and Michaela dreamed about it. Jamie wanted to be a nurse for the wounded soldiers like her great-grandmother was. They never thought Jamie would really cope with getting down and dirty and occasionally bloody in the war zone since she was the complete opposite Melody was at that age. Girly and a clean-freak.

Diamond weakly grinned at the boy who was impatiently waiting for his answer. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into his icy blue eyes. "Not quite, buddy, but you're getting there." She said giving him a smile.

He grinned accepting her answer then ran back to his brother and their group of friends who were wearing their matching cap and gowns. He waved at them and concentrated on what they were talking about. Probably discussing some "important" topic on a Power Rangers episode they'd watch.

MacTavish grinned at them then grabbed Diamond's arm quickly. "Why don't we go say hello to Ramirez? He's with Dunn." He said frighteningly excited.

"Uh, what's with y-"She began to say before he began to practically drag her across the room where the man was standing, laughing at whatever Dunn had said.

MacTavish then stopped and Diamond glared at him with a look that said she was totally going to kill him for doing this. He grinned and made an excuse to walk back over to Melody where she was arching a brow at him as she clung onto a jittery Gracie.

Diamond glared at him as Melody gave him a lecturing look and he just rolled his eyes with a smile as he watched some of the teachers gathering around the stage.

Diamond nodded at Ramirez as she took off to take a seat beside Frost as they all began to watch the kindergarten classes as the all lined up to march onto the stage.

Every child of different shape, color and size proudly marched along the stage to receive their diploma and officially be a graduate of kindergarten. When each were called some ran and some steadily walked over and when the principal would shake their hand he'd ask them at least two questions; what they wanted to be when they're older and what was their favorite thing about kindergarten. Melody and MacTavish knew that Jamie had been practicing on what she was going to say for weeks now and wanted to be prepared when she said her poem from memory in front of everyone.

The answers were usual; firemen, princess, police officer, train conductor, etc. etc. Becca, Dunn, Price, and Rachel sat beside the MacTavish's and Becca gripped into her father's arm as she watched her son stride across the stage with a proud face and held out a fist to the audience like the conqueror of a tournament. Dunn rolled his eyes with a smile as they heard the rest of the parents and families chuckle at the boy as he bounded towards the principal and hopped one leap at his podium and grinned up at him.

"Congratulations, Michael. Why don't you let everyone know what you're plans are when you grow up?" He said speaking into the microphone then held it down to his level as he scratched his head and tapped his chin.

Like a light bulb in use, Mikey then knew what he wanted to be. He looked out in the crowd and pretended to hold a gun in his arms. "I'm gonna be a super-sneaky, kick-butt soldier like my Grandpa and Momma and my Daddy!" He said excitedly.

The principal laughed at him and took the diploma in his hand then looked back down at him. "One more question, what was your favorite thing about being in Ms. Martin's class?" He asked pointing the microphone back down at him.

Mikey grinned mischievously. "All the free snacks! I gotta be strong if I'm gonna being a super soldier!" He said then raised his arms to his side to show off his "muscles".

Dunn laughed while Becca rolled her eyes in amusement and slight embarrassment. Not too embarrassed though, some had some interesting answers also.

"Thank you, Michael." He said with a grin then placed the diploma in his right hand while shaking his left hand.

There was a flash of cameras from both Dunn and Becca's row and Melody and MacTavish's as they all made sure to snap enough pictures to place in albums. As the principal went to move the tassel to the left of his cap, Dunn let out a loud holler of joy that made Beckham and Christopher join in and laughing loudly.

Mikey took the diploma in both his hands and lifted it above his head as he happily strode down the steps to the rest of the students that had received their diplomas.

He happily waited in line for the rest of his class and waved high to his family sitting in their row. Becca blew him a kiss and Price gave him a thumb's up which made Mikey beam with joy.

"Oh, here's our little genius of Ms. Martin's class. It has been a great joy having her as a student in our school. Michaela Dunn." He said smiling and reading the name on his long list.

Rachel smiled at her little granddaughter and couldn't help but think of Becca's kindergarten graduation. She forced herself to stray from the thoughts that made her depressed and clapped loudly for the curly headed girl who properly walked up to his podium with her hands folded nicely as she smiled at her family as they happily clapped and hollered for her.

Michaela smiled at him as he turned to look at her and begin his questions.

"Congratulations, Michaela. Like your brother a second ago, I'm going to ask you a couple questions. So, what are you going to be when you grow up, Michaela?" He asked positioning the microphone in his hand towards her.

"That's an easy question, Mr. Finnegan. I plan on being a journalist for our local news. I wanted to be a soldier and help our nation, but I may need to think that one through." She said with a confident smile.

Becca looked over on her left and right to see her husband's expression and her parents. They showed the same expression as she knew was plastered on her face; pride and amazement of her large vocabulary.

"Good, very good. What was your favorite thing about kindergarten, Michaela?" He then asked positioning it back towards her.

"Everything. I loved being in school and with all my classmates." She said waving towards them at the bottom of the stage behind a curtain.

Mr. Finnegan smiled at her then turned to give her her diploma and shake her hand. Another bright flash came from each camera in her row and some of the others as she watched her father record the event on a cam-corder. She smiled as he lifted the tassel to the other side and she proudly walked back down the stage and gave her brother a tight hug and waved happily at her family.

More children walked up, answered their questions, and happily received their diplomas. When almost thirty minutes of name calling, MacTavish stumbled to take his recorder off of standby as they heard Jamie's name called; part of Mr. Friday's class.

"Jamie-Lynn MacTavish!" He said clapping his hands as the tall, curly headed girl walked onto the stage with a shy but confident smile and light wave towards her father and mother.

She walked up to him and stared at Mr. Finnegan since she knew he was going to say the same thing he had to many other children that night.

"Congratulations, Jamie-Lynn. So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked trying to speed it up a little bit since things were a couple minutes off schedule and she was the last one of the last class.

"I'd like to be a nurse for soldier's like my great-grandma was. That's how she met my great-grandpa, so who knows who'd I meet." She said with a grin and giggled.

MacTavish had a slightly depressed expression on his face as he heard his daughter's answer. He still didn't like the idea of that baby girl he held, what seems like yesterday, turning into Melody and running off with someone like him. He hoped that when she did start looking for boys that she'd go after the nerds.

"That's pretty interesting, Jamie-Lynn. Last question, what was your favorite part about kindergarten?" He asked pointing the microphone at her.

She stumbled at the question for a moment and when she saw his impatience over the grin on his lips she spit out the first thing in her mind. "The, uh, arts and crafts projects. I love glitter!" She said nervously.

He smiled with relief, glad that the same, repeating questions were over and now it was time for refreshments in the classrooms. But then he remembered one last thing.

"Jamie, didn't you prepare a poem for graduation? Would you like to recite it?" He asked encouraging her to take the microphone in his hand.

She was hesitant in answering him. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked out onto the crowd towards her parents. She saw encouragement in their eyes and joy in their smiles.

"You can do it, sissy!" She then heard one of the boy's shout out towards her and MacTavish placed a hand quickly over his mouth in shock. Beckham usually never even talked in public.

She smiled and nodded to Mr. Finnegan. She took a deep breath and balanced the heavy microphone in her hands as she stood out towards the crowd. She immediately looked for her father's face behind the camera and grinned as she took in one last deep breath.

"This is to all my class mates who are graduating!

Congratulations!

Today is your day,

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose.

Once first grade starts, you're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, 'I don't choose to go there.'

With your head full of brains, and shoes full of feet,

You're too smart to go down any no-so-good street.

And you may not find any

You'll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

You'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there

In the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

And frequently do

To people as brainy

And footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,

Don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!" She finished her poem loudly and smiled as she held the paper in her hand.

There was a loud applause after she finished speaking and her face grew to an ear to ear smile as Mr. Finnegan then stepped over and lifted her tassel to the side.

At that moment, she felt a rush of emotions hit her head on. Pride, joy, nervousness, and fear. She was actually terrified to go to all the places in the poem and growing up. It was hard; she overheard the bad things happening in the world and the bad things that had happened to her own Momma and Daddy before she was even born. She overheard about her first baby and the little boy Melody had taken under her wing. Adult-life was scary and she wasn't ready to get older and go to high places. She wanted to stay a little girl so she could crawl into her parent's bed when nightmares took over her dreams.

She smiled at her parents and quickly ran down the stage.

* * *

><p>About ten minutes later, Michaela, Mikey, and Jamie had returned to their families along with all the others. She hugged her aunt Diamond's neck and her grandparent's waist and the entire group that had gathered to the gym for their graduation.<p>

"Daddy can Bubba and I play since everyone's going to classrooms? We promise not to make any messes and play nicely." Christopher asked suddenly as the twins ran up to him as they watched a large group of parents either leave or rush off to the classrooms with their children and relatives.

MacTavish looked around and saw the same site. Melody had busied herself with Gracie and volunteered to help clean up the gym some before going into the classrooms. He shrugged. "Okay, just don't get in anyone's way, alright?" He said allowing them.

Beckham nodded happily and the two rushed over to one table and Christopher withdrew a toy from his pants pocket and displayed it to him. "It's the super bouncy ball I got from the grocery store. It's our first time playing with it. We better not lose it." He said eyeing the object protectively.

They sat there for a moment, the Beckham ripped the ball from his hands and Christopher groaned. "Bubba! Be careful!" He said as he watched his twin take the ball in his hand and lifted it above his head.

"Let's see how super bouncy it is!" He said happily then threw it towards the ground with all his might. They ducked as they watched the red and blue ball rapidly fly around the room and smack against the ceiling then back down again. Christopher squeaked in fear and immediately dove under a table.

Beckham fell to the ground and covered his head and waited for the ball to stop its ferocious bouncing. Once it calmed down some, he peaked over his elbow and watched the large, oval ball take off out the door and into the dark parking lot.

He immediately jumped up and volunteered to get the ball though Christopher hid under the table hesitant of his brother going outside, but he wanted his ball back and was too afraid to go out in the dark after his dream.

Beckham ran out the door and spotted it rolling down the hill towards the street. He widened his eyes and immediately ran after it.

"Come back, ball! Please!" He screamed out to it as he reached out his hand to retrieve the ball as it gained speed.

He grunted as he ran with all the might in his legs and jumped into the green grass, only twenty feet away from the quiet, lighted street. Some cars passed by and he was glad he had been able to throw himself on the ball to catch it.

He stood and wiped as much grass and dirt from his slacks and shirt and sighed in contentment and relief. "You're a slippery little, thing." He said pointing a finger at the ball and placed it in his black jacket pocket.

As he turned to walk back into the building, he noticed a toy car sitting out in the parking lot. He smiled and walked over to retrieve it.

"Bonus!" He said happily and jogged over to it.

What happened next, he had no idea it could happen. His heart raced and his instincts told him to scream as he felt two, small but strong arms harshly grip his arms and fiercely throw him back behind a car.

* * *

><p>Jamie smiled at the story he grandfather was telling and laid her against sleepily against MacTavish's neck. Melody was now talking with the principal while Gracie had fallen asleep in her arms. She was happy with the current situation she was in. She had finally graduated and was going into the first grade, she had been able to read and recite her poem in a large crowd on her own, and she had all her family with her.<p>

She looked over and saw Diamond laughing with Frost as he leaned against a wall. Her "cousins" Mikey and Michaela were with Price and Rachel; Rachel stroking Michaela's curly hair as she rested against her chest.

Rachel then stood to leave for a second and gave Price a quick kiss on the lips. Mikey wrinkled his nose and disgust and shivered.

"That's gross and sissy-like, Grandpa!" He said in a disapproving tone.

He chuckled and placed a hand on his head, casually turning it to knock him off balance.

Jamie smiled contently and looked over where she saw her brother in his white jacket running back inside from the parking lot with wide eyes and a pale expression. She arched an eyebrow at him and tugged against MacTavish's shirt.

"Daddy, look at Bubba. Where's Beckham?" She asked noticing that he had run back inside on his own and she couldn't spot Beckham's black jacket or blonde hair anywhere.

He looked down at Jamie then up at Christopher. He sucked in a breath at his son's terrified face and jogged over to him and placed both hands on his shoulders, leaning down to his level.

"What happened, Chris? Where's Beckham?" He asked immediately fearing the worst in his son's eyes.

Melody had excused herself and carefully ran over to them, toting Gracie on her hip. "What's going on? John, where's Beckham?" She immediately asked, fear clearly evident in her voice as Jamie appeared at her hip and comfortingly patted her hand.

"My dream came true, Mommy! It came true! I can't find him, he's gone! Beckham's gone and it's all my fault." He immediately screamed out in terror as tears choked him and he broke down in his father's shoulder.

Melody's face grew pale and she placed Gracie down on her feet and immediately ran out the door while MacTavish handled the kids and left her family with confused and questioning looks.

"Beckham! Beckham Jonathon MacTavish! Where are you?" She called out running across the parking lot. When she knew she had scaled every inch of the parking lot, her breath grew shallow and she had a hard time concentrating over the voices in her head.

"No, no! Beckham! BECKHAM!" She screamed out as tears and sobs wrenched her body and fell to the ground; crying bitterly as she clutched to the black jacket she had found and the ball and toy car.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Holy $#%*! Where'd Beckham go? Is this part of Jenna's plan?

Chapter Question: How will the family cope with the sudden disappearance of their twin son and how will Christopher cope? What happened to Beckham and what is Jenna planning to do to him?

Stay tuned and please review!


	31. Chapter 31: Where is my boy?

"Momma! Daddy! Help!" Came Beckham's muffled screaming as a hand crushed against his mouth and he closed his eyes shut in fear.

"Will you please shut up! It's only going to make it harder for both of us!" He heard a surprisingly younger male voice whisper harshly to him.

Beckham immediately opened his eyes and stared into the dimly-lighted face and immediately saw his crisp blue eyes that showed fear and worry. He wondered why his attacker looked so scared. The next voice he heard answered his inner thoughts.

"Kyle, get over here! Now, before someone comes!" The woman harshly whispered staring at the boy and opened a car door.

Beckham's eyes grew wide and he bit down into the boy's, Kyle, skin. He screamed out in pain and looked over as the boy began to run back towards the building, emptying his pockets to slow them down like he had heard in stories before.

Jenna growled and pushed Kyle out of her way harshly. As he sat there on the cool, damp ground, he watched as Jenna ran up to him and grabbed his arms to drag him back to the car. When Beckham tried to escape again and slither out of his jacket that was when Jenna was infuriated. She pulled something from her pocket and ripped the covering off.

Kyle's eyes were wide as he saw his mother jab the needle into the boy's small neck. Almost immediately Beckham was slower and fell to the ground. Kyle's heart raced and he couldn't believe what his mother had done.

"Is he..?" He stuttered nervously, on the brink of tears as he watched his mother come back carrying the boy over her shoulder.

"No, but he'll be out for a couple hours. Get in," She said explaining what she had injected into the boy's neck.

Kyle quickly wiped away a tear on his cheek then hopped up and got into the back seat where she placed Beckham. He knew she was going to tell him to watch the boy anyway so it was like saving some breath.

He took a deep shaky breath as his mother started the car and began to pull out. Kyle stared back at the school where things had taken a toll for the worst, in his opinion. As he looked back, he noticed the same chestnut-haired woman he had seen nearly two hours ago who had been holding the boy. But now, her face was pale and she was trembling slightly as she ran outside calling the boy's name.

"Beckham!" He made out the words and looked down at the boy who was absentmindedly leaning against his shoulder as they began to pick up some speed as they pulled out of the driveway.

He looked at his peaceful face and sighed. 'Don't worry Beckham, I'll keep you safe,' He thought feeling the boy's breath against his hand. He vowed to keep that promise as he looked at his mother's face. She proudly smiled in victory as she looked back in the rearview mirror. Melody had broken down to her knees and began to sob viciously.

Kyle couldn't blame Melody for crying, he felt like letting it all out for a while, but he knew he couldn't. He was going to have to be strong for the boy on his arm. And strong he was going to be now.

* * *

><p>"Where the bloody hell could she've taken him?" MacTavish questioned angrily as he looked into Price's eyes.<p>

Their entire family now was outside while some of the kids were inside, confused at what was going on. Gracie was now awake as she stared out towards the adults and furrowed her eyebrows; what was going on?

"I know it was Jenna, Price. It had to have been. Who else would've wanted to take him?" Melody said with puffy red eyes and still quivering lips.

Price sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face. Rachel stood beside him, rubbing his arm with her hand with comforting eyes. "Yes, it may have been, but we don't know yet. The least we can do is try to find any clues that it was Jenna or someone else. We'll get him back, Melody," He said looking into the woman's red eyes.

Melody nodded and took in a deep, shaky breath. As Price turned to leave, Rachel looked at Melody. She wanted to give her words of comfort and promise her that everything was going to be fine, but she knew how this kind of thing was. You can never really say that everything would go according to plan and Beckham would be back in her arms in no time. She just forced a grin and squeezed her hand in hers before trailing off to her husband.

Melody couldn't understand any of this. It was all so confusing. Less than an hour ago, she was holding her son in her and kissing his soft cheeks. He was the same fun-loving, ambitious kid that she had known. For some unknown reason, she started to think about when she was carrying the boys; uncertain at the time that she wouldn't feel or see the two in a small matter of time. She began crying again as she remembered the feel of the double heartbeat on her stomach and terrifying thoughts came into her mind of never feeling the double heartbeat again.

She pressed her face into MacTavish's shoulder beside her and clung to him as he tried his best to comfort her and held her close to him. Melody knew that she wasn't so heartbroken because the boy had a somewhat stronger connection with her; she knew she'd be like this with anyone of her children. She was glad to have them under her care where she knew they were safe, but she just couldn't look into their faces. Her broke just thinking about their confused and scared faces as they watched her break down in MacTavish's shoulder. She knew she wouldn't be able to answer the question she knew was on their minds; where was their brother?

As MacTavish repressed the urge to break down and hold onto being strong for the rest of his family, Christopher sat sorrowfully at the table the two were sitting at just minutes ago. He stared at the empty seat beside him where his brother was just sitting in. His shattered heart lazily pumped in his chest as he slowly reached over and touched the seat. Tears spilled over his eyelids like the water from a broken dam as he felt the faint, warm sense against his cold palm.

Jamie looked at her heart-broken brother and gripped Gracie's hand as she led them over to her. Gracie was confused and continued to point towards Melody and MacTavish outside, questioning expression on her face.

They finally made it over to the table after practically dragging the toddler by her side and sat down in the seat left of Christopher.

"Chris? Are you okay, Bubba?" She asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

Christopher said nothing but stiffly shook his head. "It's all my fault, Jamie," He said barely audible.

Jamie was slightly surprised he didn't use his usual "sissy" when speaking to her. She knew he was clearly crushed since he used her real name. She felt her lip quiver as she began to think about never seeing her brothers happy again.

"No it's not, Chris. You didn't know this would happen. It's not your fault," She said comforting her brother as Gracie arched a brow in Jamie's lap.

At that moment, they looked over to see Melody and MacTavish come sorrowfully over. Gracie beamed as she saw her father and immediately ran over to him. MacTavish's face went slightly pale seeing her and he quickly jogged over to take her in his arms. When MacTavish began to hold her tight against his chest, she looked up at him with an arched brow. She couldn't understand any of this and she wondered why she hadn't seen her brother's face and why everyone was so sad. She placed a finger to his cheek as she watched a tear slither down his cheek.

"Why Daddy sad?" She asked with a pout.

MacTavish just couldn't answer her from the tightness he felt in his throat and placed her head back onto his shoulder and held her close as if he loosened for a second she'd be gone.

Melody felt her heart drop as she saw her identical twin son sitting at one of the tables with Jamie. She immediately ran over to him and took him in her arms as tears began to spill over. Jamie let some tears roll down her cheeks as she walked over to her mother who was standing beside the table. She looked up at her then wrapped her arms around her waist, wishing the nightmare would end soon.

* * *

><p>Diamond had followed them home to make sure they were alright. Her heart had broken when she heard the news of Beckham's disappearance. She couldn't help but feel it was partially her fault; it was instinct to wish there was something she could've done to stop her "nephew's" disappearance.<p>

When she entered the home, she found MacTavish sitting in an arm chair in the living room where Christopher had fallen asleep with his head against his lap. He was mournfully staring down at the frame in his tight grip when she had stepped in. It was a picture of the boys when they were younger; happy, healthy, and safe. Three of things he had no idea how Beckham was right now.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly trying not to disturb Christopher and sat across from him on the couch.

He sighed and placed the picture back down, rubbing his face with his hands. "Trying to be," He said simply.

Diamond let out a breath. "I know how that is…." She paused for a moment as they both sat in the silence. "MacTavish, we need to get the Task Force back together. No one else is going to be able to find him, we both know that. If we let the police or whoever else it'll be months and who the hell knows what she'd do in that matter of time," She said staring into his eyes.

He scoffed and looked down to the ground. He knew she'd say something like that. "I know, I just don't know how I could now. We have Jamie, Gracie, and Christopher to care for. We can't just leave them alone at a time like this," He said stroking the boy's hair beneath him.

Diamond nodded. She knew they both wanted to be alone, but she knew she had to ask. "Where's Melody at? I wanted to talk to her. Try to help her, if I can." She said placing her hands on her knees, fixing to stand up.

MacTavish scoffed and sat back into the chair. "She's in Gracie's room. The kids are all asleep and have been for an hour. I try to help her and make her come out but she won't talk or anything; just keeps staring into the wall. Good luck," He said with a mixture of sorrow and amusement.

Diamond nodded and stood up. She slowly and quietly walked through the narrow hallway as she passed the rooms; Melody and MacTavish's, the boy's -there was a sorrowful presence in the room seeing the empty bed where Beckham slept-, Jamie's -where she peacefully slept in her bed-, then Gracie's room at the end of the hall. She looked in the pink room and saw the millions of stuffed animals all over the room and spotted the purple, princess bed in the corner and found Melody sitting on the bed; Gracie fast asleep on her lap with her head against her chest.

She understood know what MacTavish meant by her looking distant. She repeatedly stroke Gracie's chestnut curls and stared off into the pink wall. Diamond wondered if the woman ever blinked since coming home.

"Melody? Are you alright?" Diamond asked slowly approaching the bed. She felt a tension as if it was some kind of horror movie and she would jump at her in a second.

There was no reply, just a slow pace of stroking from Melody.

Diamond sighed and sat at the foot of the bed and stared at Melody who was so zoned out from everything. "I wanted to talk to you. See if you were okay." She said explaining her reason for coming in the room for the cold, distant woman.

Again, no reply from her. Diamond sighed and looked at the wall Melody was staring at. There was a family portrait hanging on the wall; much like the one in the living room but from a different year. There was Melody and MacTavish, Jamie sitting on Melody's lap, and the twins in between them. It was when Gracie was born not too long ago. The boys were about a year or two at the time as one of them held Gracie in a sturdy position.

Diamond looked back at Melody; she could guess the picture must've been what made her freeze like that and completely made her blank from the present. When she knew there wasn't any use to just sitting there and talking to herself, she stood from the bed and began to walk towards the door.

"I was jealous of you, you know?" She then heard Melody's soft voice behind as she went to open the door in front of her.

Diamond turned and looked back at Melody. She was still in the same position but now, there was some color rising slowly back in her cheeks as she stared at the picture. "What are you talking about, Melody?" She said taking the time Melody had come back to to get some kind of conversation going with her.

"When I first met you, all those years ago…. MacTavish used to talk about you a lot. Told me stories and the amazing things you did; it was like he hero-worshipped you. He never saw it and would probably deny it completely now, but I was thought that he had stronger feelings for you then the brother-sister thing." She said sorrowfully as she stared at the picture on the wall.

Diamond couldn't help but chuckle at her words and looked at her face. She looked more depressed now. "Me and MacTavish? Melody, please, that's kinda gross." She joked hoping to make her smile.

Melody just continued to sternly look at the wall as Diamond laughed. "I was mad because he was always so happy to see you and sometimes, we'd be mad at each other. I wasn't the most loving girl; I called him a jerk a lot and sometimes slapped him. I just didn't know how to be really affectionate then! I came from a bad childhood and I didn't know how to really say that I appreciated him. Every time I saw him run over to you or do something, I was so scared that it came out in anger like many or my emotions did. I was scared that one day he'd tell me good-bye and say that he loved you. Sorta like he did the day he came back from taking down Waraabe." She said avoiding Diamond's face.

Diamond didn't laugh this time. She knew how serious she was and almost on the verge of tears. She sighed and looked at Melody. "I know how that is, Melody. I came from a bad childhood myself; let's just face it. We were ignorant and probably annoying bitches. But, Melody, just to let you know. He came to my room the morning after he proposed to you, the first time I mean. He was so happy and almost looked worried when I tricked him in thinking that I didn't approve. I even came to him once for advice and asked him when it was he knew he first loved you. Trust me, you're all he could think about when he was with me or when we were just hanging out. He was and is like a brother to me and always will be. And when you died, before I left, he was distant and never talked to me. I had to force myself on him like I did just now. He was crushed. So, long story short; that Scottish drunky in the living room has and always will love you, Melody.

"Now, I wanted to talk to you about Beckham. I think all of us should get back together, the Task Force I mean. I know we're the only ones who could find him." She said getting to the matter she had been in there for.

Melody's grin from Diamond's explaining faded when she heard her son's name. "It's my fault he's gone. I had been living way too carelessly. I should've known she would come back when I least expected it. But it had been longer than Makarov had caused chaos so I thought she had stopped or something. Now my son is suffering because of my carelessness. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't do just to hold him one more time." She said sorrowfully.

Diamond sighed. "It isn't your fault, Melody. It's no one's really. But that's why we need to Task Force back in action. We can take down Jenna and anyone else who wants to stand in the way. I know that everyone has families now, but we have to do this. For their future, right? To get Beckham back and finally end Jenna and whoever else's reign in the future." Diamond said trying to encourage her.

There was a moment of silence between them and Diamond began to think that Melody dozed off again. When Melody's head began to stiffly nod in agreement, she grinned and sat up. If she hadn't known the woman, she wouldn't have understood what the no meant. But she knew; Melody was with the idea. She knew would be in the first place, anyway.

Diamond smiled and stepped out of the room to allow Melody her time along again. She walked back into the living room where MacTavish was still sitting at and looked at him.

"Go talk to your wife, Scotty. She needs it right now." She said slapping his shoulder softly then turned to leave.

MacTavish watched her walk out the door and back to her car. He swallowed back tears that had begun to form and carefully placed Christopher on the couch and wrapped the blanket over him. He placed a hand on his forehead and let out a breath before walking down the hall to talk with Melody.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Poor Melody and MacTavish:( Looks as though the Task Force is coming back to life, but what about the kids?

Chapter Question: Will the Task Force be able to find Beckham and stop Jenna in time before something awful happens? Will Kyle be able to stay strong for Beckham or will he crumble? What will happen to the Task Force kids?

Stay tuned and Review please!

(PSST! I know I've already asked before, but I was wondering if anyone knew any good songs to listen to? Any songs that remind you of the story or just some awesome songs you'd like or love to share? Like before, you don't have to if you don't want to because I still have plenty to. I'm always open to new favorite songs or bands. So, if you do know any and would like to share, please do. It will be completely appreciated)

Okay, I'm going to shut up now and let you get on with your day or night. Good-bye and thank you for reading! :D


	32. Chapter 32: Slipped Away

"Jenna, the brat's been whining for hours. Can't we just knock his ass out again?" The British man asked in an impatient tone as he propped his feet up against the desk. His light brown eyes watched her as walked around the desk, rummaging through files and other things lying around.

"No, isn't Riley supposed to be with him? I only spared her weak ass because she was useful. She has a kid, right? She's supposed to keep him at bay!" She said impatiently slamming the files down against her desk.

"Yes, but she keeps spacing out. I don't know why we don't just take her out of the equation; she's absolutely useless." The British man complained of the woman while he cupped his hands around the back of his neck comfortably.

"You know why we can't do that, James! I've told you a million times that this woman knows of what Melody and her team will be thinking. Until she tells us all she knows, then we'll kill her. For now her duty is to keep Beckham calm." Jenna said impatiently and pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed.

James shrugged and let out a sigh as he lightly rocked himself in the old, squeaky chair.

Jenna had found James a short time after she had Kyle back six years ago. He was left for dead by his team years ago and he swore that he wasn't going to be forgotten again. So, when Jenna gave him the offer of joining her, he just couldn't refuse it. Since then, he and Jenna had been gathering a small army of their own since she knew that the Task Force was a small but powerful group. It was that time when she had thought of the plan to weaken Melody's defenses.

"Kyle, go check on Riley and the kid? Kyle! Wake up, dammit!" Jenna demanded and glanced back at the boy who had just fallen asleep.

Kyle jumped at the loud voice and immediately crawled away towards one of the old rooms they were keeping the two in. He didn't approve of keeping them there but it wasn't like it was his decision anyway so he usually kept quiet about Jenna's decisions now.

He then made it to the room where the older woman and boy were placed in. The woman was still shaking away with a distant expression in the corner like he had seen three hours ago and the boy pouted in the chair and had given up on squirming and find a way out of the tight bands across his wrists and ankles. Kyle furrowed his eyebrows and his lips gaped to a small 'o' when he saw that the boy's fingers were red and began to look bluish-purple from the lack of blood from the tight metal bands on his wrists. He wondered if his feet were anything like that, but he knew enough to know that he was probably right.

He wiped his cold nose on his sleeve and took a seat on the cot that Anna lifelessly rocked on in the corner. He sat as far from her as possible and looked at Beckham.

"I'm sorry for what my mom's done with you. She didn't use to be like this." He said playing with his fingers and staring down at his lap as he apologized to him.

Beckham furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked at the boy's jet black, messy hair. "Why is she doing this? I don't even know her. It can't be me, right?" He asked wanting an explanation of why he wasn't playing with his siblings or letting his mother fuss over his messy curls or even tracking down a squirrel or frog or some sort of creature like his everyday life.

"I don't know. She… She wanted to do this because of your mom. Don't ask me why because I don't really know. It was before you were born and before I was old enough to understand anything." Kyle said looking at the boy's dirty face and into his icy blue eyes with his crisp blue.

He saw a lot of himself in the boy, when he was his age. That look of confusion and fear was overwhelming in his eyes now that he just had to turn away and looked at the shivering woman beside him.

He hesitantly placed a hand on her upper back and Kyle grew tense when her shaking stopped, but she hadn't looked up at them.

Kyle looked over at Beckham's expression and he noticed he looked as tense as he was. When turned to look back at the woman, he understood.

The woman then looked up and stared at Kyle with lifeless, baggy eyes and a snow white face. He thought she looked like something off a horror movie he watched with his old school friends. He screamed in shock and jumped back into the wall.

As he rubbed his head in pain from contact with the concrete wall, the woman then spoke. Even though she stared at Kyle, she talked to both of the boys in the room with her.

"You both look like…my past. Some old comrades; if that's what you want to call them." She said barely audible and stared at the scared boy in front of her and the hesitant, tense boy in the chair.

When she looked over at Beckham she gasped and raised a bony hand to her mouth in shock. "I can't believe she got you…" She trailed off in deep thought and looked over towards the floor and thought aloud. "She said she'd get away….make a better life for her family….what is he doing here?" She murmured to herself.

Beckham let out deep breaths from holding them in when the woman was staring at them and slowly looked over at Kyle; a million questions and wanted answers in his eyes. Kyle just let his heart beat back to normal and shrugged, slowly sliding back down to the bed.

"..Um, ma'am? Wh-who are you talking to?" Kyle hesitantly asked and said under his breath, crawling once towards her.

The woman then swung her head in Beckham's direction and he jumped behind the metal bands and he felt his heart race in his chest.

"Don't tell me your mother's name is Melody. Please tell me she is not your mother!" The frightening woman asked, her hollow, blue-green eyes pleaded with him.

Beckham felt like crying just hearing the name. "I'm sorry... But yes." He said softly in fear of what she'd do next.

The woman sighed and placed her thin face in her bony hands.

Kyle couldn't get over how the woman looked. He could tell she was obviously pretty once in her life, but something happened and now she looked lifeless and you could see the bones under her fragile skin. As if someone had sucked the life from her. Kyle feared as he wondered if his mother had done this to the woman, but he didn't want to know that there was someone cold enough to do this to someone.

"What's your name, Miss?" Kyle then asked staring at her fragile frame.

She slowly pulled her face from her hands and looked at the boy's face. She felt something stir in her empty chest. This boy did care for her; something she hadn't seen in what felt like centuries. She kept her blue-green eyes on him.

"Anna… My name's Anna." She said hesitantly, unsure if she should give her whole name away in case Jenna was using the boy before her. Which brought a question to her mind. Why was the boy here?

"Well, Anna. I'm Kyle and this is Beckham. It's nice to meet you." He then said with a welcoming grin and pointed his thumb at Beckham in the chair.

She forced a grin and she felt her muscles tense slightly. She hadn't made any expression of happiness in forever and it felt different. A good different. Her grin pulled wider and she was smiling at the boy.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Kyle. And Beckham, of course." She said looking at him then smiled at the blonde boy just as warmly.

There was a moment of silence between them all before Kyle broke it again. "Anna… that name sounds familiar. My friend Avery, I think, knows of someone named Anna. Probably thinking the wrong thing, it's been forever since I've talked to her." He said trying to remember why the name was familiar.

The woman, Anna, immediately stopped listening when she heard the name Avery. It felt like the world stopped in orbit and her hard, cold heart leaped in excitement and she quickly turned to Kyle and grabbed his shoulders which made him gasp loudly and he stared at her with frightened eyes.

"This girl, Avery. Was her last name Riley? Her father Simon?" She pleaded with him, praying he said yes.

His eyes were wide as the bewildered woman questioned him. He wondered why she wanted to know about Avery but seeing that crazed twinkle of happiness and excitement he knew he had to answer her. "Yeah, she told me all about her Dad. Pretty cool guy." He nodded quickly and stuttered slightly.

Anna then smiled widely and felt like kissing the boy's cheek but told herself to calm down before she did something rash. She happily let him go and spilled out a million questions.

"Tell me all about her, please! I want to know everything; hobbies, personality, crushes, looks, talk, everything!" She gushed out with rosy cheeks; the only color on her skin.

Kyle smiled at her and was glad she actually looked human now. He settled himself onto a comfortable position since he knew he was probably going to be there for a long time. "Well, where should I start? She's…" He began to say when the door swung open.

Kyle then saw his mother and her "pet" James come inside. His heart raced when James stepped over and harshly grabbed Anna's bony figure and tossed her to the ground.

"James, stop it!" Kyle cried and jumped towards Anna to help her.

Jenna then reached down and grabbed Kyle's arm, wrenching him away from her. "You are not allowed to talk with her, do you hear me?"

"Why? Can't I have one friend without you hurting them or driving them away! Let me go!" Kyle screamed angrily at her.

Jenna slapped his cheek and he stumbled from her tight grip. As he felt some blood appear from a cut he had on his face, Jenna grabbed his collar and threw him out the door.

"Get out of here, now!" She ordered and slammed the door in his face.

Kyle quickly wiped the blood from his cheek and stood up from the ground. He wanted to help the woman and Beckham, but once he heard the locks suddenly change in the door he knew he wouldn't be able to. He just prayed that nothing bad happened to them and they answered her questions.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Sorry for the weak ending:/ Poor Anna, she almost had a chance to hear about her daughter and Jenna blew it. But, yeah! Anna's alive and back!

Chapter Questions: Will Anna be able to survive Jenna's treatment with her weak condition? Will Simon or the Task Force learn of Anna's existence and save her along as Beckham? Will they all survive or will Jenna win?

Stay tuned and review!

(PSSSTTTT! Thanks for the song suggestions, they were great! Even downloaded some that I could find!:D)


	33. Chapter 33: Stressed

As the old Task Force all stood along a long wooden table; overlooking plans and maps, Melody sat far off in the corner, distant and absentminded.

Diamond occasionally glanced back at her. At first, she didn't say anything but it was almost two weeks now and it was getting old and aggravating. MacTavish said it was like she completely shut down from everything; like an empty shell. Diamond began to be angry with the distant woman. She wanted Beckham back badly but she wouldn't quit looking into the wall to even concentrate on breathing.

"Where would she go anyway? She could be clear across the U.S. by this rate." Simon said crossing his arms over his chest as he listened to their argument about where'd his kidnapper could have taken him.

"Who knows, but we're going to find him. Diamond, what do you think? ... Diamond?" Price asked glancing at the woman across from him but to find her glaring at Melody in the corner.

Diamond then pushed herself from the table and began to walk over to the corner Melody sat in. MacTavish saw her fuming anger on her expression and he immediately jogged over to them both as Diamond grabbed Melody's shoulders.

"Melody? What the hell is wrong with you? Melody!" Diamond demanded angrily and shook her shoulders.

"Diamond-"MacTavish began stepping towards her.

"No, MacTavish! Her behavior is completely immature! She's useless! I don't even know why she fucking came! She won't fucking answer anyone or won't fucking do anything!" Diamond yelled infuriated.

"She's having separation issues, Diamond! She can't help it!" MacTavish then yelled back defensively.

"So did I! But, you know what I did? I got fucking over them!" She said looking at him then down towards Melody, yelling at her in anger.

She didn't even flinch at the harsh words Diamond spit at her but remained lifeless and distant. MacTavish placed a hand on her lower shoulder protectively as he watched Diamond pace in the corner then turned back to them; just as mad.

"Look! She won't do anything! It's like she doesn't care if her fucking son dies! All she cares about is herself!" Diamond screamed at the two.

Melody surprised them both by suddenly jumping out of her chair and launching herself at Diamond. Diamond gasped softly as the woman immediately wrapped her hands around her throat tightly with an evil glare and snarl on her lips.

"Melody! Stop it, now!" MacTavish then said grabbing his wife from their comrade and held her back as much as he could as she demanded to be let go.

"Let me go, John! Let me go! I'm going to fucking kill the bitch!" Melody screamed glaring at Diamond. Diamond watched as Melody boiled with anger and fumed as she saw the bloodlust in her eyes as she angrily grabbed the air between the two.

Price then ran over and grabbed Melody from MacTavish's arms. Melody immediately swatted at Price as he tried to tell her to calm down before he had to give her the shot. It was like she had become a little kid again and she screamed and cried; anything to flee from the needle in his hands. Price then quickly injected the needle into her neck and pushed her towards MacTavish again.

Diamond and MacTavish watched in wonder and curiosity as Melody almost immediately calmed and eventually fell asleep in MacTavish's arms, just as lifeless as she had been before.

"What the hell did you do to her?" MacTavish demanded looking at her face then at his commander.

"Her father sent them to me a long time ago. Just in case. And once she started acting like this I knew it was the best time to carry them around. They used to give them to her when she was younger. Keeps her under bay for almost a day and forces her nerves and hormones to calm down. I imagined she'd be just as distant and absent like before when Becca left for a couple months. Girl went absolutely crazy and threatened to kill anyone or anything in her way. Separation or abandonment scares her and she tends to get pretty violent..." He explained tossing the needle aside and glanced at Diamond who was still rubbing her neck where she could feel Melody's cold fingers pressed against her skin.

"Exhibit A." Price said pointing his chin towards Diamond and she smirked.

"How'd she even get this way? She seemed… somewhat calm when I first met her." Diamond said recalling the woman when she first came to the base and she was the first friend she actually met. Calm, at ease, and actually kind of pleasant to talk with.

MacTavish, Price, and Becca all exchanged a glance as the question was aloud. Dunn, Frost, Foley, and Ramirez looked just as confused and curious as Diamond had been.

"Too much to tell. You really want to know; look in her files. She might kill you though… I don't know if she'd be joking or not though." MacTavish finally said after a moment of silence and lifted Melody's body into his arms. He grunted slightly and murmured to himself about stopping by the gym after Melody was okay.

Diamond furrowed her eyebrows and wondered why this woman, that she thought she knew, kept her whole childhood away from everyone. Then, she just had to know and wouldn't stop until she did. She slowly moved her hand from her neck and looked at Price.

"Price-"She breathed out, beginning her reason to be excused for a minute.

"Black cabinet, third drawer, in the back." Price then interrupted knowing where she was going to go.

Diamond arched an eyebrow at first then smirked and muttered a thanks before leaving the room.

Frost grabbed Diamond's arm as she jogged beside them and stared at her black-brown eyes with his ice blue. "You alright?" He then asked staring at her face.

Her brow furrowed slightly in wonder but then she nodded. "Totally. I'm okay." She said reassuring him as she spotted the worried crease in his brow.

He then nodded with a crooked grin and let go of her arm. As Diamond then jogged out of the room, Frost watched her disappear behind the corner.

Diamond slowed down to a walk and shivered at the feeling of Frost's warm fingers still on her arm. She forced herself from that and stay focus. Everything was wrong and she was daydreaming about Frost's soft hands. Agh!

She gripped her head and yelled to herself in her head to stay focused. She quickly made it to Price's office and immediately spotted the black filing cabinet in the corner. She opened the drawer and found that the whole drawer was full of stuff and documents on Melody. She was surprised and wondered how messed up this chick was.

She pulled out one box that was labeled, Dr. Burns. She arched a brow at it and turned it towards the other side where a name was drawn in with a permanent marker.

**Melody M. Johnston**

Diamond looked around from force of habit then opened the box. She found piles of black tapes with the white stickers with a name and age on each. She picked up the first one and read the sticker quietly to herself.

"M. Johnston. Age seven." She said stroking the sticker and grabbed the box and the numerous files and documents in her arms and dashed down the hall where she knew a TV was and VCR to play the tape in. It was the only time that she was glad that the old building was "old-school".

When she got there, she slightly panted from carrying the load and threw it down on the table beside her and grabbed the tape with Melody when she was seven.

She placed the tape in and almost immediately saw a clean white room with a blue chair and some inspirational posters hanging on the walls.

About a minute after starting the video, an older man with dark sunglasses then appeared in the room with a small girl by his side gripping tightly to his hand.

The older man bent down and whispered to her then left the room as the girl then walked over to the desk where her doctor was waiting patiently for her.

Diamond immediately knew it was Melody. Not just because it had her name on it, but because the chocolate eyes and chestnut hair was almost identical to the older version that tried to kill her not too long ago.

She was surprised to see a large, red bruise under her right eye and cuts on her arms and legs as the camera zoomed out as she scratched her nose.

"Melody, how did you get those marks on you?" The doctor asked with a rather bored tone. He was probably used to her having a new mark each day, but Diamond wasn't.

"They had to drag me out of my room again this mornin'." She said matter-of-factly.

Diamond was slightly surprised at the extremely different voice pitch but disturbed at the young girl's words.

"Why do you always put up a fight with the adults who take you? Do you like being hurt?" The doctor asked as he scribbled down something on his notepad.

Melody shrugged. "I dunno. I don't like to be forced to do something I guess. General Johnston says that if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. I wanna be strong so he'll like me." Melody explained with a far-off look in her eye.

Diamond could've sworn she saw the older Melody in that look and the innocent tone in her voice like Jamie had. She couldn't believe how much alike they actually were, but what she said disturbed her. Why didn't she just say Dad or Daddy? Diamond wondered if it was a slip of the tongue or something.

The doctor was silent for a moment as he scribbled down something on his notepad again then took a sip of his coffee beside him then questioned her again.

"We got information that you've been attacking some of the other children at the home. Why do you feel you always need to attack somebody?" He asked, pen at the ready as he looked at her from under his glasses.

Melody thought it over for a second then answered. "My Momma died because she cared about me. Margaret barely gets to see my anymore because I care for her. I don't want anyone to get attached to so it's better to just take them out of the picture. By any means necessary, like General would say." She said sitting back in the chair.

Diamond furrowed her eyebrows tight and thought that she was actually kind of creepy. Had she meant that she tried to kill the other children she lived with or seriously injure them? What had happened to her when she was younger?

The rest of the tape went the same way; questions about her violence and disturbing answers. Diamond had almost grown bored watching the tapes until she came to one when she was fourteen years old.

Melody sat there with pale skin and a long grey sweater and jeans that touched her ankles. She was covered with clothing from head to toe and her chestnut hair slightly curtained her face as she waited in the chair she had sat in for years.

The doctor then entered the room and ran over his excuses and apologies for being late and took his usual place.

"So, shall we get started? Melody, why are so covered? Got a cold?" He asked seeing her appearance. She usually wore either shorts or capris and T-shirts. The new change was strange to him.

Melody stiffly shook her head no and continued to stare at the floor on the black and white tile.

"Why don't you tell me what's on your mind. How's that Darren boy you've been seeing?" He said trying to get something out of her.

"Being a bastard, as usual." Melody whispered bringing her wrist to her cold lips.

The doctor nodded slowly and scribbled something down on his clipboard like he usually did. "What did he do?" He asked laying his pen down for a second.

"Innocence was stolen…. He hurt me more than a knife or bullet could ever do…. I trusted him… and he used me…." She said quietly, mostly to herself.

Doctor Burns nodded slowly, realizing what she meant by the phrases. It was quiet amongst them for the longest time until Diamond decided she had enough of the videos and shut it off.

She let all the recent information sink in. She was surprised to find that she didn't know Melody at all. Constantly training like a Marine since she was four, sometimes beaten and starved, and now at fourteen when she was raped by Darren Shepherd. She couldn't believe. Though, she had to give Melody some props for being able to keep it under bay all this time.

Diamond then grabbed the documents she had stashed with her and immediately ran over her Military information. She was recommended by General Shepherd when she was fourteen and sent off to the Marine Corps in 2011 under the newly formed task force led by Sergeant First Class Ronan Clarke. She read from the beginning of their force to the end when General Shepherd had recruited them back together after almost five years to gather Intel of Vladimir Makarov. They were ambushed and Melody was the only remaining soldier that didn't eventually die from lack of treatment though she was on the verge of death.

"Damn, Melody, you must have nine lives." Diamond scoffed to herself.

Diamond continued to read over Melody's files until she heard something from the back of someone's throat and realized she had fallen asleep in the room.

She quickly looked up and saw Jamie-Lynn standing in the doorway. Well, she thought it was Jamie. She squinted from the light pouring in from the window beside her and looked at the time.

"Jamie, it's three in the morning. What are you doing here?" She asked half awake.

Jamie then grinned and dashed down the long hallway she had previously been in. Diamond then jumped up for she knew that Jamie wasn't supposed to be running along the halls of the old building, especially at night.

"Jamie! Wait up for me, okay!" Diamond the called out running towards her.

As Diamond zoomed down the hallways in search for the giggling six year old, she saw a small figure in the shadows in one room that made her slide to a stop and grip the door frame.

"Jamie? C'mon, sweetie. Your momma's gonna-" She said relieved that she had found her then realized that the figure then grew almost three feet and it was well-built like a man.

Diamond furrowed her brows and stepped back. Jamie then walked up towards her and wrapped her arms around Diamond's waist.

"Don't let the man hurt me, Diamond. Please don't let him hurt me!" The girl begged but Diamond knew that wasn't Jamie's voice.

She spun around and stared at the girl who clutched to her. Now, she saw a bony, skinny girl with large brown eyes and chestnut hair that was braided in two braids over her shoulders. She wore a pink-and-white striped shirt and denim shorts and barefoot.

"Melody?" Diamond questioned wondering if it was the woman, well child, that she had been reading about all night.

The girl then pushed Diamond by the back towards the man in the shadows and rapidly shot down the hall and completely disappeared. Diamond then looked back at the man and only saw light blue eyes before something then shook her shoulder.

"Diamond? Bloody hell, wake up!" She heard a Scottish toned voice by her ear.

Diamond shot up from her hunched over position on the table and immediately pushed MacTavish harshly towards the corner screaming at him to not touch her.

He scoffed and looked at her shocked face as she looked around her surroundings realizing that she wasn't in the room in her dream.

"Damn, I'm never reading these files again at night!" She said under her breath and began to shove them back into the box.

"C'mon, Price wants you. And, oh yeah, Melody says she's sorry. She said that if you wanted, you can come and beat the shit out of her." He said with a grin and leaned against the door frame.

"Naw, I'm good. She can live with it. Why was she like that? I mean, I've never seen her act so stressed and distant before." She said placing the box on one of the chairs and looked at him.

MacTavish's grin faded from view and worry took its place. He looked down towards the ground. "Beck had an appointment to get his medicine last week. He's had heart problems all the time like Melanie had and he really needed that medicine. If he doesn't get it…." MacTavish trailed off, refusing to even think about the ending of the sentence.

Diamond understood and slowly nodded her head. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty remembering what she had said that had set Melody off.

"_It's like she doesn't care if her fucking son dies!_"

Diamond growled and stood up from the table. "Shit! We're finding him and I don't care what it takes!" Diamond said pushing herself from the desk.

* * *

><p>"Melody? You here?" Diamond asked looking for her as she passed one room.<p>

Diamond expected to see some woman curled up in the corner of some room but when she heard the lock of an AK-47 she knew that someone was messing the ammunition. She hoped that none of the kids were in there.

She turned the corner to call out one of their names but left her mouth hanging open when she saw a petite woman with chestnut hair placing a P9 in a holster on her hip.

"Melody? What the fuck?" Diamond questioned seeing the color return to her cheeks and the rest of her skin.

"You're right. I'm being immature and useless. Now, if you please, you can't tell anyone that I'm doing this." She said braiding her hair down her back then pointed her thick knife at her.

Diamond arched a brow at her. "What are you talking about?" She asked letting out a breath and gave her a questioning look.

Melody sighed and cocked her head back annoyed. "I know where Jenna's taken Beckham. I don't have solid proof and I'm not chasing the bitch when it's not solid. _But_, I do know where we can get that solid proof. There's a man named James Miller outside of Phoenix, Arizona who is close to her and working with her. I'm getting my information out of him." Melody said tightening her black tennis shoes so they wouldn't slide off if she had to sprint.

Diamond arched a brow and wondered if she was dreaming again. But, as she thought about it, she knew Melody wouldn't play around like this if it wasn't serious. She then walked over to the table and grabbed a bullet-proof vest that she was reaching for and pulled it behind her.

"Singh, give it back!" Melody said holding out her hand and trying to jump over the table to get it back.

"Uh, uh, uh! Unless you want me to drag you down to Price and MacTavish by your ears and make you stay here then I suggest that you take me along." She said waving a finger at her.

Melody arched both of her brows. "What?" She asked hanging her head slightly.

"I'm going with whether you like it or not. That's my nephew and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him back. Now, do you agree or shall I start by grabbing your ankles?" Diamond said with a cocky grin and arched an eyebrow.

Melody glared at her then took a USP. 45 and pushed it across the table. "Fine, I agree." She said and crossed her arms angrily.

Diamond grinned and laid the vest on the table and held the pistol in her hands, feeling a million of memories flooding back immediately. She then looked up at Melody and arched an eyebrow slightly. "Good."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. It's been a hetic week and weekend for me and this is the only time I've had to sit down and write! But anyway, it looks like Melody's snapped out of her mood for now and now there off on an adventure! :)

Chapter Question: Will Melody and Diamond be able to find this, James Miller, and find where Jenna's hiding them or will they fail? Will the Task Force be able to find Beckham before he gets sick without his medicine or will they be too late?

Stay tuned and review please:)

P.S. Happy Easter (From my location) Everybody!


	34. Chapter 34: Gracie's Troubles

He keeps walking back and forth. Back and forth…Back and forth… and again. Momma hasn't come back home yet and Daddy kept walking around the room.

I looked over and saw my Bubba sitting on the couch unhappily pushing a toy car with his toe across the ground as he frowned at the ground. I was confused; where was my other Bubba? Did he stay with Mikey again? Momma or Daddy won't say anything.

"Gracie, come here." I heard Sissy's voice calling me from the bed as I stared past the doorframe and stared at Daddy some more.

I turned back and saw Sissy patting the spot beside her and I shook my head. She sighed and pushed the piggy from her lap. I smiled and ran towards her. Momma said I have bouncy curls when I run, I wonder if they're springs! I quickly spun around to catch them but just found my pink and purple dollhouse.

I frowned and gave up.

"Mommas and Daddies must think us kids are so dumb.' I thought when the story about bouncy girls came up false.

I plopped down on Sissy's lap and she took the soft bristle brush in her hand. Yay! I loved it when people brushed my hair. It was nice. Now I know how Lenny feels when I pet his ears.

Sissy carefully and slowly ran the brush down my hair and I purred like a kitten. Sissy didn't laugh much though, just a smile. What was these people's deals? I wonder if someone ate all the ice cream. They were all so glum. Glum… that's such a fun word!

Daddy then came in to check on Sissy and I. I smiled and jumped down from Sissy's lap. I stretched my arms toward him and giggled. I loved it when Daddy held me at nights.

Daddy sighed and picked me up. I placed my head against his shoulder and I could immediately smell his smell-good stuff. It had a weird name so I decided its new name was 'smell-good stuff'.

I looked back at Daddy when he didn't say anything. He always greeted me with a kiss or tight hug. Was Daddy sick?

"What's wrong, Daddy?" I asked placing my hands on his neck like Momma did when I had a tummy ache.

Daddy smiled but it didn't look right. "Nothing, baby. C'mon, let's go wait with Bubba." He said and placed a hand on my head, forcing me down on his shoulder again.

I hugged his neck tightly in hope that he would feel better as we both sat down on the tan couch. As I sat on his lap, I spotted Lenny making his way to my lap.

"Lenny! Tome here." I said patting the spot beside me and Daddy on the couch.

The fat black cat immediately dashed over to me and purred happily on my lap. Daddy preferred the kitty over a puppy. I don't know why, but he just did not like any kind of puppies.

Bubba made a face at Lenny and I gathered the kitty in my arms and stuck out my tongue at him. So, everyone but Bubba likes Sissy's kitty. I loved Lenny and always will forever and ever.

Bright lights shined in from the window and I knew Momma was home. I smiled and let Lenny run off my lap as I jumped up and headed for the door. I missed Momma and I was starting to think she'd never get home.

Daddy was right behind me; I thought it was funny that he was just as eager to see Mommy as much as I was! He opened the door quickly and we both saw Uncle Derek come up the steps with Papa Price beside him.

Daddy frowned while I ran towards Uncle Derek and jumped towards him. Weird; he usually held his arms out for me when I came towards him. Now he just mumbled something and placed a hand on my head.

Uncle Derek and Papa Price lead me back to Daddy who was still standing at the door. I crawled into his arms as he hugged him tightly against his warm chest. I pulled back my curly hair and looked at Papa Price as he began to speak.

"Soap, we've been looking for them almost all night," Price began.

I looked up at Daddy as Price used his old nickname. What was going on? Why did Daddy look so sad?

"Where's my Mommy?" I demanded and looked at Papa Price.

He didn't look back at me though. Uncle Derek looked just as sad and stared at the ground and kicked a pebble with his toe.

Price then stared at Daddy, refusing to look at me, as he answered my question, "I'm sorry, Soap. They're both gone. We found this file lying in the room you put Melody in. I have a strong feeling she and Diamond went off to find him," He said sadly and handed Daddy a bright gold folder.

I reached out to take it, but Daddy moved my hand and told me not to. Why? Where were Mommy and Auntie Diamond? Where are they! I felt like crying but I knew I shouldn't. Crying was for babies and I was a big girl!

Daddy said nothing else to Uncle Derek or Price as they turned and left, driving away slowly. I wanted to talk to Daddy, hug him and tell him that Momma and Auntie Diamond were going to come back, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get all out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight like I've seen Momma do before.

He then sat me down and looked over at Christopher who was near tears at the news he had overheard. I reached to him and slightly whimpered. I wanted him! Did he not want me now?

He told Bubba to go to bed and called Jamie from her room. Jamie took my hand and led me down the hall. As we both walked quietly down the hall, I began crying. I couldn't help it. I wanted my Momma but she was gone and Daddy didn't want me. I wanted my other Bubba back; I wanted my family!

Jamie tried to calm me down but it was no use. She stroked my hair and wiped some tears that fell down my cheeks like Momma did when we were crying or upset. She told me repeatedly that everything was going to be okay but I just couldn't believe it.

A loud noise then made me squeal and immediately dash into my bedroom. Sissy tried to follow me but I slammed the door loudly and crawled onto my bed.

Momma was with me not too long ago, holding me and kissing me when I went to bed. Why did Momma leave me? Did I do something wrong? Was this punishment for messing with her make-up last night and writing on the mirror? She told me not to do it again, but didn't do anything about it. Was she punishing me now?

Daddy then came down the hall after Jamie had told him of me and what I was doing. He slowly came into the room and found me on my bed. I stretched my arms out to him.

He grinned and came over to my bed and held me. I loved it when he held me; Momma and Grandma Johnston said I was a major Daddy's girl.

"What's wrong, Grace? What's making my little girl cry, huh?" He asked as I laid my head on his chest.

I didn't feel like talking at all so I pointed towards the picture hanging on my wall. He was confused at first but saw that I was pointing both at Momma and Bubba.

He sighed and seemed sad to answer me, "Gracie, Momma and Bubba will be home very soon. I promise. She went to get Bubba so we could all be together again. And, once when I'm ready, I'm going to get him also," He said calmly stroking my hair.

I looked up at him and shook my head rapidly. I didn't want my Daddy to go also! "No, go, Daddy!" I said thinking of some words to get my point through.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. You'll be with your Auntie Jessica and Uncle Dillon. Momma and I will be back before you can say 'oi'," He jokingly said thinking of the small word he knew the toddler loved to use.

I smiled thinking that they would be back but that didn't mean that I didn't want him to go. Daddy kissed my cheek and told me to get some sleep. I thought that was a dumb idea. How can I sleep now knowing my Mommy and Daddy will be gone?

* * *

><p>"Diamond, for the last damn time I am not talking about my childhood! Damn, have you realized that you make it completely impossible for anybody to have some privacy in their life?" Melody said loudly in annoyance as they drove down the highway, Melody glancing at her as Diamond did some research on her laptop.<p>

"Have you noticed you make it completely impossible for me to like you? How am I supposed to be friends with you if I don't even know you? What happened back then? Just fucking tell me!" She demanded slamming the laptop shut and looked over at her.

"No! I don't want to talk about it," Melody replied angrily through her teeth.

Diamond arched a brow at her, "Tell me," She demanded in a low tone.

"No," Melody said.

Diamond frowned, "Just tell me!"

"No!"

"Tell me,"

"No,"

"Tell me!"

"Jesus Christ! Fine, I'll fucking tell you!" Melody finally said getting a headache from her constant bickering.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Diamond said with a cocky grin.

Melody rolled her eyes at her but started on her explanation, "When I was four, my Mom had passed away because of some heart problems. Since I had no other family or any legal ways of staying with my nanny, my Dad took me in. For the longest time he had wanted a son that he could train to be some secret weapon, but he was stuck with me. So, for fourteen years my Dad trained me to be the 'greatest solider in history'. But that meant turning me into some raging, blood-thirsty maniac through my whole childhood. I went to therapy almost every day and hospitals just for some doctor to claim how crazy I was. Once they even locked me up for trying to kill my 'boyfriend'. If that's what you want to call it. But, anyway, lived my life like that for at least ten years until I decided to try and clean up my act. I knew there was no way I would be able to join General Shepherd on what he had for me if I was that crazy chick in slasher movies. So, when I was eighteen I was diagnosed as non-crazy and I joined the U.S.M.C. where I met my commander, Sergeant Ronan Clarke. If you don't mind, I don't really feel like talking about them to you," Melody said distantly staring off onto the road as the memories slowly sank in as she told them.

Diamond nodded and remembered reading how Melody and her team had rejoined after so long apart to receive Intel of some guy named Kingfish, who would later turn out to be Makarov. There was only five in their group, not counting the small squads Shepherd sent in, and only one came out alive. Diamond had lost many people in her life and she knew that she wasn't the one who let them die. But, as she looked at Melody from the corner of her eye, watching her quickly wipe away a tear before anyone could notice, she wondered if she could've been so calm knowing that she was the one who made the orders to push on when she knew she should've backed down. That order was the one that ended the lives of many brave Marines and Captain Ronan Clarke, Lieutenant Shaun Blakely, Sergeant First Class Steven Parks, and Corporal Mallory Gestring.

Diamond knew she had to give Melody some props for being able to keep those separate memories under bay, but she hated it that the stubborn woman kept everything important secretive.

After moments of awkward silence between them, Melody then pulled off into a driveway a two story house in the middle of the woods. Melody stepped out and grabbed her pistol.

Diamond followed and looked around at her surroundings. "Country… Hm, well. It was about time that I visited," She joked and grabbed her USP. 45 and jogged up to Melody who was waiting impatiently for her at the door.

"Quit gawking at the scenery and get over here, Diamond," Melody said gruffly and Diamond just rolled her eyes at the woman.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So, it looks like Melody and Diamond are having a little issues again. Well, that could be suspected when someone tries to kill you and ambushes your little "mission". Poor Gracie, she has no idea what's going on:(

Chapter Question: Will Diamond and Melody find the guy or some Intel on where Beckham's at? Will the Task Force come together again to find him and stop Jenna and her small army? Will I ever update on time instead of too many days? (Don't know why I put that one in there:)

Stay tuned and review! :D


	35. Chapter 35: Backwards

Melody and Diamond slowly entered in the vacant building. Melody kept a hand just over her pistol at her hip as Diamond went upstairs to check the other rooms while Melody stayed on the bottom floor. Her mind was full on what she was really going to do if this James person was here and waiting for them. Take him to Price and the others, maybe. Right now, she knew she just wanted an explanation and the location of her son. As she thought about it, she thought she just might kill him. That was something she hadn't done in a long time; could she even do that now? She had to, for Beckham if no one else.

She began to wonder how MacTavish had responded to her and Diamond's little adventure. She knew for sure that he was completely pissed off by her sudden "awakening". She couldn't help but grin at the thought of his worried panic expression when he yelled at her. She knew there would be yelling; just instinct to yell when someone just leaves at a hard time. Then she felt guilty.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to just up and leave like that. Not just because MacTavish would be upset, but because she had Jamie, Gracie, and Christopher already scared out of their minds. Now with her leaving like that; she shivered thinking of them terrified and wondering where their mother was.

"Hey," She heard Diamond call from the upper floor, "Melody! I need some help in here," She said.

Melody nodded stiffly to herself and turned to go up the stairs. She looked over at the wall for a moment when she thought she saw something peculiar. The room was messy and files and documents were scattered about; as if someone had left in a hurry.

She knew Diamond had just called her up there, but she wondered why it looked that way. She kept a steady hand over her pistol as she slowly stepped into the room. The room was dark and dust particles roamed about the room lazily. A faint scent of lilac air freshener swam in the atmosphere and made the room feel homey.

Pictures of men and women hung on the walls with mountains of files stacked underneath them. It looked as though whoever had left quickly had been looking for someone in particular. But who; who was it that the one who stormed the room left in a hurry?

Melody stepped on something that gave out an audible crunch and she looked down to see a picture and a frame on the floor. She picked it up and carefully dusted off the glass she accidently broke and looked at the faces of the people of the flat photograph. Two children with identical brown, curly hair and sapphire blue eyes smiled at the taker of the photograph while a woman with green eyes and mouse brown hair wrapped her arms around the two boys.

Melody felt a tug at her heart as she thought about her boys; her little Beck and Chris. She immediately placed the picture upright against a tall, silver filing cabinet in hopes of removing the heart-broken feeling that made her question why she was even there. She took in a deep breath and continued to look around the room.

She looked over to see one file opened and she skimmed over the articles. She then looked at the face of the man that was showed at the top of the page.

**Frank Woods**

Melody questioned why the name sounded so familiar and why an image flashed in her head at the name. Had she heard of this man before from one of her former Marines and she hadn't paid any attention…. But, as she thought over the name, she realized that her mother's maiden name had been Woods. Was this man related to her somehow? Maybe a cousin or uncle of some sort.

Her thoughts were immediately interrupted when she heard the gunshot of an AK-47. She gasped and grabbed the file from the desk, folded it away in her vest and immediately set off up the stairs toward Diamond.

* * *

><p>"But this boy needs his medicine, now! He'll die if he doesn't have it," Anna weakly argued with the woman who refused to listen to her as they placed the sleeping boy on the bed harshly beside her.<p>

"Well, then that'd be one less annoying prisoner to handle with," Jenna said coldly and tossed the rough blanket towards them. Jenna had currently ordered James and some of the men to search a building outside of Phoenix, Arizona and get rid of any evidence they had left behind so she was alone with dealing with Anna and Beckham.

Anna stroked the boy's jawline as he slept. She wondered what would happen to him if he didn't get the medicine he needed as Jenna slammed the door behind her. Would she be able to watch this boy die in front of her? Could there be a way for her to help him? She bit her lip in concentration and remembered when her heart had beaten her in her childhood.

Always having to go to the doctor's office just for them to tell her that there was nothing they could do but give her the medicine and ways she can get her heart to calm down and go back to its original pace. But it had been so long ago, could she remember to even help him?

She began to think of her own daughter. Had she ever experienced any of the discomfort or pain from the heart problems? She prayed that she didn't as she leaned against the cold concrete wall behind her.

She shivered in her dark red sweater and wrapped the warm fabric around her waist. She couldn't believe how thin she had been now a days. Even when she had been given food, she never wanted to eat it. It wasn't something pointless like not being able to breathe or live without Simon or Avery, though she missed them terrible, but because it made her nauseous to even think about eating. They always drained blood from her right when gained it all back.

She was glad no one could see in this predicament. Skin-and-bones. She grinned thinking about her mother's adjectives. It was like she could cure anything by offering food because they looked 'just absolutely terrible'. She had thought the same thing when she met Simon the first time. Constantly telling him to eat something before he wasted away. She smiled remembering the scrawny, shy boy her mother met.

She sighed thinking about what had gone through her mind at that moment. She couldn't help but wonder if her younger self could have known that that young man she met at the park was going to become one of the main focuses in her life.

She couldn't believe it herself how almost ten years had gone by so fast. Ten years from being that skinny, hesitant girl from a small town to being the fragile, pale weakling after Anatoly took her from her family as a 'punishment' for Simon's actions. But what such actions? For living? Makarov wasn't even the one who killed him.

The very thought sent chills down her spine. It was hard to believe that he had actually been dead at a time. Now, she was glad that the owner of the land had seen him in time, but it was also a great shame that the other young man, Gary Sanderson, wasn't able to make it. She had always wanted to meet him. He seemed like a nice guy; from what she read from Simon's calls and e-mails. She remembered how Simon had said that Roach, or Gary, had reminded him a lot of himself at the beginning.

She sighed and closed her eyes against the sorrowful darkness. She knew everything would change when she met the young soldier, she just hadn't known it would change like this. She gave up on trying to sort through her thoughts and crawled off the bed to the floor to sleep. She didn't want to cause the boy any discomfort so she pressed her back against the mattress on the floor and closed her eyes, forcing sleep to come.

* * *

><p>"Diamond? Diamond, what's going on?" Melody called rounding the corner and running into one room where Diamond was in.<p>

She looked in to see Diamond with the gun in her hands and a man clutching a bloody left hand. She furrowed her eyebrows in shock and turned to Diamond.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

Diamond said nothing but pointed towards the man. He had stood back up and had a large knife in hand. Melody took no threat to it, but stood her ground.

"I want to know where my son, Beckham, is. I know you and Jenna took him away from me. Tell me where he is," Melody demanded lifting her P9 from her side and aiming it towards the man she knew to be an exact match from the picture she found.

The young man clutching to the knife feebly just glared at her. He knew what this woman before him had done; from Jenna's stories she was disloyal and untrustworthy. You had to give it to her though; she did have a good line in twisting the truth from her perspective.

James just chuckled and shook his head slightly, "Go ahead, shoot me. You're getting nothing from me, anyway," He said stretching out his arms for a moment then let them fall back to his sides.

Melody glared and stepped towards him, "Though I do want to put a bullet through your thick skull, I'm not leaving without the information on my son's location. So, I suggest you just hand it over," She said with an arched brow.

Diamond watched them carefully and questioned Melody's position, "Melody, back off. You shouldn't stand so close to him," She warned seeing his fingers tighten against the smooth handle of the knife.

Melody just ignored her and stared at James, "I want my son back. I don't have to kill you to get it, just give me the information and you can tell Jenna that it was gone. She'd never know you gave it to me," Melody then began persuading, becoming a little desperate.

Diamond continued to stare James' hand with the knife as Melody began to lower her gun. The atmosphere was tense around them and Diamond wondered whether or not she should jump in between them.

James then grinned, "Fine. We'll settle this easily. I have the files made out of Jenna's plans in the cabinet behind me. You take it and leave," He said clearly and nodded to a white metal filing cabinet behind him.

Melody nodded and placed her pistol in the holster at her hip and carefully walked over to the cabinet with the man. Diamond took a step towards them, heart racing with nervousness. She didn't think it was a good idea for Melody to put away her weapon when James continued to hold his in a firm grip. Her mouth was dry with the words that she wanted to shout at Melody. Tell her she was being idiotic and that she should stand down. But, she knew how useless that would be. Melody was stubborn and never listened to anyone but herself. Diamond still couldn't believe that MacTavish daily put up with this woman.

As Melody searched through the files, James gripped the knife in his hand and grabbed Melody's arm, spinning her back to his chest.

Diamond immediately brought the gun up and pointed directly at him to shoot, but James quickly decided that he was going to at least weaken Melody before he knew Diamond would shoot. He grabbed her arm as she struggled to get from his grasp.

Though he clearly aimed for her hand, she jerked away from him the same instant he sent the knife flying down towards her hand.

Diamond's bullet fly from her gun and the blade drew closer to Melody's left pinkie. The atmosphere was quiet and tense as a ringing sound came from Melody and James took the bullet head-on. Diamond's heart raced in her chest and she walked over to Melody who held up a bloody hand, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Diamond felt like vomiting at the site of half of Melody's pinkie was removed and blood poured from the chopped finger. Melody cried and backed into the corner as the pain made her entire being locked tight and the only thing she could move was her mouth to scream bloody murder.

Diamond looked around and thought that someone might call if they heard the gunshots and Melody's screaming. She quickly walked over to Melody and told her to shut up. When Melody continued to throw her fit over her removed finger, Diamond growled from the back of her throat and slapped her.

"Quit being a damn baby, Melody! We have to get out of here, but first we gotta stop your bleeding or we'll be a GPS to Jenna's men if they come looking," Diamond said angrily.

Melody looked at the woman through blurred vision. Her ears rang and she could still feel Diamond's warm hand slap across her olive-skinned cheek. Hearing Diamond's words brought up something from her day's living in the academy.

"W-we need to get something metal….. G-get it hot," Melody softly instructed pointing towards the metal tools lying beside the old fireplace in the room from across them.

Diamond had no idea what she was talking about, but decided to get it for her anyway. She quickly walked over to the room and grabbed the nearest piece of metal she could find. Get it hot; why did she need to get it hot? The thought then clicked into her mind; Melody was going to burn the wound. Well, if that's the only way to stop the bleeding then she was open for it. They had to get out of there and quick. She looked over at Melody who clutched her bloody hand to her chest, slightly poking it at it to test how bad it had been chopped. Apparently, very bad since Melody kept biting her lip to keep her from making any noise.

Diamond then crossed over to the small kitchen separable from the room. She considered this to be some kind of lounge or something before it was abandoned. She crossed over to the stove and quickly turned the burner to the highest temperature and placed on end of the metal bar into the blue and orange flames. She kept under for a moment then ran back to Melody in the room she left her in.

Melody immediately grabbed the metal bar and took in a deep breath. She motioned for Diamond to cover her mouth as she bit her lip unsure. She had learned that it was the best way to stop the bleeding, but she did remember how painful it was. She remembered sitting in class with the others wincing just imagining the pain from the burning metal. Well, now she can say that she was doing a project.

She knew she was stalling now so she lifted the burnt metal to her face then stuck it quickly in the stub of her pinkie. Pain immediately flashed messages to her brain, screaming at her to remove the metal. Melody obeyed those messages and threw the bar away from her as quick as possible. She whimpered and cried at the burning, but knew she shouldn't scream. Diamond was right; they had to get out of there.

Melody looked up at Diamond to see her slightly wincing and she then helped her up, "C'mon, we can fix it up later. Right now, we have to get out of here," Diamond said taking the file Melody had been holding and threw her arm around her shoulder to help her up.

Melody stumbled along slowly a step behind Diamond as they slowly exited the building, Diamond handling her gun with care as she checked each corner before making it to the final floor. As Melody and Diamond sat in the car-this time with Diamond in the driver's seat-Melody opened the file that she had been given with Jenna's plans for Beckham.

Melody skimmed over his basic information since she already knew that, she prayed that she'd find something useful to find her son and bring him back home. But, considering Jenna, she wondered how dangerous she would make life for her son? Now that she thought about it, she didn't want to know the answer.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for not updating sooner. I have no logical or understandable reason besides I've been lazy and losing my touch. As you can see in the lousy chapter : I promise to be more faster in updating and better in the chapters. **

**Chapter Questions: Will Jenna really put Beckham's life at risk by not giving him any meds? Will Melody and Diamond find Beckham's location? Will Anna ever be free from Jenna before she dies from starvation? How will Jenna react with the death of James?**

**Stay tuned please and review!:D**


	36. Chapter 36: Sad Song

Jenna walked into her room slowly and locked the door behind her, pressing her back against the door knob and placing a cupped hand to her chapped lips.

The boy was going to die. Did she really want him to die? No, of course not, but would Anatoly have let him die? Would Ian? The only two men in her life that she looked up to and prayed they were proud of her. But what about her young son Kyle? Could she really claim to love him more than herself then turn around and slap him? It's obvious that the death of Beckham would leave Kyle broken-hearted. Jenna felt a twinge of guilt and pride when she realized how he was much like she was when she was his age; tenderhearted and fragile.

Jenna sighed and rubbed her eyes with the ball of her palm when she thought about Ian's death and how much it had changed her. Ian was her life; her heart and soul. He was that promised and desired security that she craved for so much when she was a child. Her safe-ground to stumble to after many threats and visits from her father. Of course, he had found where they went to, but the family Megan sent them to claimed that Mr. Oakley was a drunk and didn't deserve to be with the girls. Jenna though, corrupted with fear of being abandoned and orphaned, asked if they could at least schedule visits with the man.

Kyle was sweet and innocent and so full of love for anyone that wanted or needed. Jenna scoffed thinking of how she would've killed to meet someone like him when she was younger. Her poor boy was brought in the madness of Anatoly's teaching and Ian's corruption and death. She thought about her life before all this. When she and Ian would just walk through the park when she was pregnant with Kyle because she hated being cooped up in the house. She missed the feeling of his arm lying against hers as she playfully swung their arms in a bouncy formation.

She missed when the sun would be in perfect alignment and the rays would bounce off his shiny, jet black hair and his pupils would grow smaller and you could see a full of display of the deepness in his radiant sky blue eyes. She missed him every minute of every day. How did she become this way? So bitter and full of anger? How had she become her father?

Jenna slowly slid her back against the white wooden door frame and sat in a ball at the entrance of the room, resting her twelve ton-feeling head on her numb arms. Everything changed in such a small matter of time; so had she. She took in a deep breath and thought about what she was going to do.

Let Beckham die? Break Kyle's heart? What about Anna? Was it even useful anymore to keep her hostage? If she let Anna go, she'd tell them all her plans and location. No, she had to keep Anna here. Even if she had to make that cell her grave. No one could know of her plans. Not even Kyle knew of all the things she planned.

A tear slid down Jenna's fair cheek as she pressed it against the red cotton sleeve on her arm. She knew her son would undoubtedly hate her if she did so, but it had to be done. For Ian and Anatoly. For Megan.

Urgh; just the thought of her name made her heart ache with loneliness. Her older sister, Megan Oakley. Killed in a car crash; by a drunk driver. Their father popped into her mind; the very glance of his face set her teeth on edge. She pictured her father; drunk and driving in the black pickup truck that crashed into Megan's car door. She was only twenty-two.

Jenna growled as she felt three streams of boiling, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as loneliness overcame her. Megan was the only person who understood her. Her best friend; her sister. Killed by the thing that would've killed her when she was young. Jenna felt like screaming, breaking the picture of her sister, herself, and Kyle when he was just an infant. Curse her father's name, perhaps. But, no, she kept quiet in a ball.

A memory flooded her mind as she continued to silently cry over her sister's death.

"_Just tell him, you've known him for years. It'll be like telling me," An eighteen year old Megan insisted as she and her fourteen year sibling sat on the bright red couch in the den of their foster home._

_Jenna gave her a sheepish smile and rolled her light blue eyes, "Yeah, because what I want to do is run up to you and tell you how much I think your eyes are gorgeous!" She replied sarcastically and batted her eyelashes dramatically._

_Megan smiled at her sister as she moved her black checker piece over to the left. The fire crackled lazily in the fireplace in front of them and licked Jenna's acne-face and glared around the rims of her thick glasses._

"_Seriously, Jen. If you don't tell Ian that you're so in love with him, I will. And I will use unnecessary detail," She said with a fake threatening tone, pointing a finger, scolding her with narrow, playful eyes._

"_And when you do, we will both attend your funeral. I will totally kill you if you do!" Jenna said widening her eyes slightly in nervousness that her sister just might tell him, "Oh, and I'm not in love with him, you brat!" She said jokingly and used her double red checker piece to take away two of her pieces with a proud grin._

_Megan arched a brow then stuck her tongue out at her. Megan sucked on the strawberry-covered spoon from their desert and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as she plotted out her next move._

_Just then, the front door of the separate building opened and a sweaty and tired Hunter Davenport trudged in. He walked across to the den when he saw two blonde figures arguing in front of the fireplace. He grinned and slowly walked towards the girls._

"_Hello, ladies," He said with a flirty grin at Megan who rolled her eyes at him. Jenna simply waved her fingers at him with a muttered greeting as she concentrated on the game in front of them._

_He walked over to Megan and leaned against the back of the couch, placing his chin on her thin, smooth shoulder. She looked at his hazel eyes from the corner of her eye and softly placed her cheek against his temple._

"_Jason tried to kill me today. I need a new job; one that doesn't involve my bossing hating my guts," He said wearisome as she placed a hand on the other side of his chin._

"_Why, you have such lovely guts," Megan said dramatically and kissed his chin with a grin._

"_Smartass," He mumbled with a grin and slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him._

"_Agh! Hunter!" She squealed as she met his sweat-stained T-shirt, "Urgh, you smell like a jock-strap!" She groaned and pushed him away._

"_You smell like a jock-strap," He mumbled with a grin and began to walk out of the room towards the bedroom._

_Jenna blushed softly when she spotted Hunter already taking off his shirt when closing the door and turned to her older sister who was sheepishly smiling at her through narrow eyes, eyebrow arched._

"_What?" She asked nervously and looked down at the couch underneath her, tilting a checker piece on its front._

"_Nothing," Her sister said with a sigh and quickly moved her piece three times across the board then hopped off the couch lightly._

_Jenna widened her eyes when she noticed that Megan had taken all her pieces just then. She turned back to her and glared softly._

"_I knew I hated this game," She grumbled crossing her arms across her chest and laid back against the arm; kicking the game board off the cushions._

Jenna scoffed at the memory and wiped the tears away. She missed the days she lived in the pool house with her older sister, her boyfriend, Hunter, and Ian. Days were simpler than. She couldn't help but wonder what they'd say if they could see her now. Sitting in an office, creating a reputation as a cold-hearted monster, hitting her little boy. She knew Megan would be deeply ashamed of this; say that she was their father.

A new wave of tears took over her as she thought of her sister, her mother-figure, turning her back to her in shame and disown her. Everything was crumbling around her; her son hated her and her sister was gone; her entire family besides Kyle wiped out and gone. Her sobs echoed around the room as the pain overwhelmed her.

* * *

><p>Melody immediately got out of the car as they parked in the driveway of the red-brick home that belonged to Melanie and now Benjamin. Diamond wondered why she was here but decided not to argue with her at the moment; she wasn't in the mood.<p>

"Diamond, stay out here. I'll be out after a while. If MacTavish calls, tell him I'm fine," Melody instructed holding the files in one hand as she closed the door behind her.

Diamond opened her mouth to say something but they just came out stutters as she walked away quickly. She threw her hands in annoyance and rested her forehead against the top of the steering wheel.

Melody quickly knocked on the door and tucked away her hand, hoping her mother wouldn't see the missing finger. She bit her lip in anxiety while the document in her hand never felt so real and heavy before.

Was this even wise? What if Melanie had no idea who this man was? Would this all be a waste of time? If so, Beckham would be dead. Melody shivered at the thought and banged on the door once more before it swung open.

Melanie appeared, green eyes puzzled as she saw her older daughter in front of her, looking completely exhausted and eyes puffy, "Melody, what's wrong?" She asked leaning against the door.

"Nothing, I'm fine. But, I do need to ask you something. Can I come in?" Melody asked gripping the files in her hand tighter.

Melanie nodded with furrowed brows and opened the door for her daughter. Melody didn't even pause to walk over and sit down; once Melanie closed to door behind her, she spun around and opened the files.

"Diamond and I had gone to investigate this building in Arizona and before things went kinda hectic, I found this in a room. Someone was looking through it and tore a piece from it. Mom, please tell me if this man is familiar to you or not," Melody almost begged as she opened the file and laid it across her hands and lifted it to an astonished Melanie.

Melanie looked down at the face and nearly cried. She hadn't seen the man in so long; a million memories flooded in her mind when she thought of him, "Yes, I know him. He was my father," Melanie said softly and stroked the face admiringly.

Benjamin overheard the two and immediately stood up and walked towards them when he heard Melanie's words. What was Melody doing with a file of Melanie's father, his father-in-law?

"What? I mean, how? Why did those guys who wrecked the building rip a page from his file...? I thought he looked familiar," Melody questioned and softly said to herself.

Melanie just grinned at her, "You were young when I took you to my parent's house. I remember that you'd always want to color in my mother's field journals. Always curious about how they met and wanted to wear the necklace I brought to your wedding some years ago. You were such the talker then, always curious. But, you were your grandfather's little girl. I miss those days," Melanie said solemnly.

Melody scoffed at the memory, but she wasn't there to walk down memory lane, no matter how tempting it would be, "Mom, do you know where he lives?" She asked arching a brow suspiciously.

"Well, yes, of course. Why?" She said furrowing her brows slightly.

"Because, you're taking me there," Melody said matter-of-factly and reached across her to open the door.

Melanie eyed her questioningly as she quickly approached her car.

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><p><strong>Poor Jenna, must really suck : Sorry for not updating soon, although it hasn't been very long :) Probably won't be able to update at all next weekend or the whole next week actually because I'm pretty busy with school events and staying with my cousin and Aunt to kill Zombies and practice my driving skills:) But anyway.**

**Chapter Questions: What will Jenna do? Will she fall under the pressure and complete her plans or will she give them up? What about Diamond, Melanie, and Melody? Are they going to search for the old Veteran, Frank Woods?**

**Stay Tuned and Please Review! :D**

**(Oh yeah, forgot to mention; Chapter Inspiration by Sad Song - Christina Perri. Go check out the song that inspired Jenna's part in this chapter! Thanks and thanks for reading!)**


	37. Chapter 37: Memories and Nightmares

"_But why won't you tell me, Grandpa? Why?" Young three year old Melody pressed on as she slowly followed her elder grandfather from his room to the living room._

"_Because, like I've told you a million times, I don't like to talk about it and you don't need to know either," He said; annoyance at her persist questioning making his tone slightly cold._

"_But why?" She groaned and her shoulders dropped as he just walked off with a grin._

"_Melody, your grandpa doesn't want to talk about it. Come in here, I'll show you a picture, though," She heard her Grandmother's voice in the den of their home._

_Melody grinned and took one last glance at her grandfather; checking to see if he wasn't mad._

"_Go ahead, kiddo. It's alright if you look at the picture," He reassured her with a grin and warm brown eyes._

_Melody nodded and immediately ran down the hall and into the den. She spotted her partially grey-haired grandmother sitting on the tan couch, folding clothes, and jumped on the back of the couch. While hanging on the back, her grandmother gave her a joking, stern glare._

"_Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" She quickly chanted looking into her grandmother's green eyes with her excited chocolate brown._

"_Calm down and here. These two men we were good friends when we were in Vietnam," She chuckled and pointed at the men on the picture._

_Melody observed the faces closely; taking in the detail of the base in Vietnam with its constant helicopters flying around and body bags that flapped in the wind outside the round, green infirmary building. She looked at the slightly younger and shorter man beside the young version of the elder she called Grandpa. He had light blue eyes with dark brown hair. He looked to be the youngest in the group. Melody arched an eyebrow as she noticed her Grandfather's appearance; vest revealing his bloody and dirty chest that matched the rest of his appearance and skin. He wore a light green headband around his brow and cuts lined his chest and arms, beside the multiple tattoos. _

_The man she thought most interesting was the stern-looking man who stood slightly away from them. He wore dark black sunglasses and curled his lip slightly as the sun beat down on them. She thought about how her mother would never let her wear sunglasses when they were taking pictures. Well, when they were taking family pictures or she joked saying she was being a drama queen._

"_He gets to wear sunglasses in a picture and I don't! I guess I need to be a soldier to wear sunglasses, huh?" Melody said slightly shocked at the theory._

_Her grandmother was silent for a moment as she pondered over her granddaughter's words. She couldn't imagine the young ball of energy before her fighting and killing other people as she had watched in her lifetime. She shivered at the thought then faced the girl._

"_Well, I don't know, let's hope you don't," She simply said and smiled half-heartedly at her. As Melody came around the couch and sat looking at the rest of the pictures of her mother and her siblings and her grandparents, her grandmother then walked into the living room where her husband sat, silently and vacant._

"_Frank, what's wrong?" She asked arching a brow and slowly walking over to him._

_His wrinkled face showed discomfort and uncertainty. Something was obviously bothering him that made his proud mouth frown in deep thought. He slowly looked up at his wife's face._

"_Just thinking. Have you noticed that Melody never wants to leave when Melanie comes to pick her up every weekend?" He said slowly and stared at the wall in front of them._

_She arched a thin brow uncertainly. "She's young and at her grandparents' house. They're all like that," She reassured him with a warm grin._

"_I know, I just can't stand it when she always looks terrified when Melanie pulls in the driveway. I wonder if something might be going on at home, Jess," He said looking up at her from the corner of his eye._

_Jess's grin slowly faded as she thought it over, but she didn't want to think about it._

_They were both interrupted by the sound of two young voices entering the hall and walking towards them. Melody appeared with her oldest uncle, asking him a million questions about why he didn't have a girlfriend yet._

_Frankie sighed but grinned at the girl. He and is oldest sister Melanie had grown up in the same atmosphere together when their parents were still with the Marines so in a way, they understood each other more than the others. So, he usually looked after Melody when she was over. It was a strange theory, yes. But he determined to stay with it._

"_Because Melody, I'm waiting okay?" He said once again looking down at her as she arched an eyebrow at him disapprovingly._

"_Well, Momma and Daddy were together at your age. Isn't about time before you get old?" Melody questioned dropping her shoulders at him; adding emphasize to the word 'old'._

"_Don't worry kiddo. He's only seventeen; he's got a long time to go before he can settle down. Your grandmother and I didn't settle until we were about thirty," He said with a grin and looked at his wife._

"_Only because I was a nurse and you were a soldier. We had no time for it anyway," She said glancing at their son who smirked at their usual banter as he sat down beside Frank, Melody jumping in between them._

"_C'mon Jess, we both know you wanted me more than you let on," He joked with a flirty grin._

_Jesse rolled her eyes at the stubborn man while Melody giggled at the two. _

_As the sound of tires turning and screeching to a halt appeared outside the house, Melody gasped softly as she noticed her father's old black truck. Frank saw the flash of fear that appeared on her face at the sound, and his theories appeared once again._

_After Jess answered the door, Melody leaned against Frankie's arm as she saw her father's grinning face appear around the corner._

"_Hey, Melody! You ready to go?" He said with the perfect amount of happiness in his voice. Melody knew how fast that would fade and dissolve when they got home._

_Melody stiffly nodded her head and tried to force a smile on her face, "Uh, can I stay a little while longer, please, Daddy? I don't wanna go home," She said with a fake grin._

_He arched a brow at her and tried to hide his impatience, "No, sorry, kid. Your momma's in the car with Krista and she wants to get home and put her down for a nap and she said she has things to do at the house. So, just, c'mon sweetie," He said holding out his hand towards her with a grin._

_Melody glanced at her grandfather then slid off the couch. She waved good-bye to her seventeen year old uncle Frankie and hugged her grandma before disappearing outside the door with her father, oh so hesitant to really touch him._

_Frank secretly looked out the kitchen window as Jesse went down the hallway to check on their fourteen year old daughter who had called for her. He ran a hand through his greying brown hair as he watched Benjamin get down on one knee and talk to Melody who almost looked on the verge of tears. As Melody said something and nodded her head in fear, he let go and opened the door._

_Frank felt like running out the door and snatching both of his young granddaughter's and his oldest daughter from the man's truck as Melody crawled into the back, rubbing her shoulders harshly and made a face of discomfort. Who was this man, whom he had trusted not even five years ago with his daughter, who now threatened his wife and children?_

_He couldn't understand how the young man he trusted now made him cautious every time he was in contact with the girls. He knew something was wrong, but would he be able to stop it in time?_

As Melanie drove and Melody sat in the passenger seat, the memory flooded her mind of her grandfather. It was the only one she had, but she decided not to complain of how short it was. Remembering her aunts and uncles only brought a million questions to her mind. How and what happened with her Uncle Frankie, or Jessica, Samuel, and Samantha? Did she have any cousins she had no idea existed?

Melody scoffed about how ten years ago she would've slapped someone if they said she would be in this predicament. Things had changed, but in a way, for the better. She had a family and things were better, but now her son was taken away from her and she refused to let that happen. She prayed that Frank would have something useful or this would be a waste of time. Melody felt bad for thinking so as she knew her mother must be holding back excitement of seeing her parents for the first time in almost twenty years.

Maybe she should just keep quiet, let her mother enjoy this and stay quiet in the front seat. Yeah, that was probably best and right.

* * *

><p>She couldn't get it out of her mind. Her mother was threatened with the barrel of a pistol before some man grabbed her and took her away. What had happened to her? She dreamed that she had just gone for a walk, but never came back.<p>

Avery sat on her bed in the middle of the night, arms hugging her knees close to her chest as the nightmare and memory seemed so clear to her now. Had that really happened? Was it simply a heart failure that took away her mother?

She wished she had her father right now, but she didn't want to disturb him. Besides, it probably wasn't even true, right? Just a dream, just a dream! But she still couldn't get it out. Her mother had been able to perfectly take care of her for almost four months, why would she suddenly just die? It just didn't make any sense.

So, what if her dream was correct? Is her mother still alive? Did this man take her away and keep her locked up? It was awful and frightening, but Avery prayed that that was the truth. An idea popped into her head as she jumped off her bed and began running down the hall to her father's room.

She pushed herself into his room and found him at his desk; that seemed about right. He turned with wide eyes and arched brows as his twelve year old daughter immediately told him a million thoughts.

"Dad, did Mom really die? I had a dream that she was taken away while you were gone and I think it was a memory! Why would Mom just die out of the blue? If there was something wrong with her heart she would've passed away when she had me. Dad, I think Mom's alive and the man who took her has her still!" She said loudly with shining blue-green eyes as she tugged on his arm enthusiastically.

Simon sighed and took her hand in his, "Avery, I know you want her to be alive, so do I, but she's gone. I really hate telling you this; I had to tell myself a million times while you were growing up. It was just a dream; you know you shouldn't get worked up over it," He said softly looking into her eyes.

Avery felt her heart drop to her stomach. She thought her father would've been overjoyed about her discovery as much as she was, but now he was saying that it was just a dream and she shouldn't think too much about it. Disappointment and anger at his quick refusal boiled inside her and made her face hot.

"I thought you loved Mom! How can you sit here and not even chose to do anything! I love her and I want her back! I'm tired of being the weird girl at school who has to go to therapy! I want my Mom, not your stupid girlfriends! Urgh! I wish I was taken too! At least I would have her!" She screamed at him.

Simon sat watching her with wide eyes and a shocked expression; he had never heard Avery raise her voice in such a way. Avery was quite shocked as well.

Guilt then crawled its way in and replaced the anger as she immediately turned and ran away from him, back to her room. Once in her room, Avery slammed the door shut and locked it tight as she sat at her desk and laid her head on her arms; trying to calm herself down before apologizing to Simon.

She looked up to see the jelly jar that was placed some inches away from her fingers. She lifted her head and softly traced the letters drawn onto the smooth glass.

'Dear Mom'

For years, she had written down her feelings of the day and placed them in the jar. Telling her all about what had happened. Before, she had always written one after the end of the day since she was about six. Now, she may be able to really tell her of all her tales of being in school and meeting her friends and Kyle.

She wiped a tear away from her cheek and slowly reached for the pencil and piece of paper that waited conveniently beside her and began writing once again.

* * *

><p>MacTavish sat in his office room while he heard the voice of his youngest daughter giggling and screaming in her room. He was glad that she was young when this happened. He wouldn't want her to remember any of this like he knew Christopher and Jamie would. But, there was a part of him that wished he didn't have to hear her happiness. It seemed like the wrong place and wrong time for her to be happily twirling around in her room with her older sister who joined her just to get things off her mind and so their father could be alone.<p>

He wasn't quite sure what Christopher was doing, but he knew he was in his room; quietly messing with the parts of his wooden car pieces. He and Beckham had been trying to put it together on their own, but now Christopher had no special meaning to even try. His twin was gone and he was intent on telling himself it was his fault, just like his dream.

He knew he should be with them now, but MacTavish couldn't handle it as he watched an old home video when the twins were younger.

He scoffed seeing a three year old Jamie-Lynn sitting in the back yard with one of the twins, Beckham, clearly trying to persuade him that pink was the 'master' color for anything. Beckham clearly didn't seem to understand his older sister's arguing as he furrowed his small eyebrows together.

The camera was then turned to see a pregnant Melody helping the one-year old Christopher. Christopher was always the wild one and he had been running around too much and hurt his knee which MacTavish jokingly said made Melody go into 'freak-mode'.

Melody ruffled his hair as she let him go back to play with his brother who was trying to get away from his sister who was still trying to explain why pink, purple, and red were wonderful colors. MacTavish grinned as he realized how much Jamie-Lynn was the exact opposite of Melody. Melody had never been real interested in clothes or make-up or any of the things that Becca always fretted about, especially when they were younger.

MacTavish had a strong feeling that Jamie was going to freak out about her appearance when she's older; he was definitely going to wait for that day as long as he can.

As he reminisced on the memories before Beckham's disappearance, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He thought it was Frost again, asking if he got anything from Diamond or Melody, so he decided to ignore it. But, knowing he should answer it just in case, he picked up the phone and read the caller I.D. He nearly dropped the phone when he saw that Diamond was calling him.

He quickly answered the phone and brought it to his ear, "Diamond?" He questioned, slightly surprised that she had actually called him.

"Yeah, I can't talk too long. Your wife has gone crazy, 'Tavish. Things got…. Uh, complicated, along the way back and Melody found some files for Beckham's location. The fucking psyhco that worked with Jenna is dead; I shot him when he tried to get Melody…Though he kind of succeeded, in a way. I don't have time to explain. I'm waiting for Melody now and we're leaving. I have to go," Diamond quickly filled him in in a soft voice, careful not to let Melody hear her.

"Wait, Diamond!" He tried to say before he heard the long endless note signaling that she hung up.

He leaned back against his seat and slightly growled. Of course Melody would tell her not to call, but what was the real chance that Diamond would follow anything Melody ordered. He sighed and placed his face in his hands as he listened again to the sound of Gracie and Jamie-Lynn's laughter in the other room, practically mocking his remorse.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know it was kind of a quick update, but I was wanting to get in some chapters this weekend since all next week I'll be busy and won't be able to write. Hope you enjoyed it:)**

**Chapter Questions: How will Melanie react to seeing her Dad after so long and how will they react to seeing Melanie and Melody? What about Avery? Was her dream the truth or just simply a dream? Will MacTavish finally join with the others again and look after Beckham? Hopefully... :)**

**Thanks for reading and please review:)**

**P.S. This will be the last of the 'Melody & MacTavish stories' I make. I will continue the ones currently in progress like 'Fast I Fade Away Redone' and 'Hero of War' but that will most likely be it unless I have a boredom moment and write a one-shot in the far-off future. Just to let you guys know. But thanks for reading the series (if you wanna call it that) and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks... again.**


	38. 38: Thing Were Simpler Before I Knew You

Beckham awoke from his nightmare by the awful, dull pain in his chest. Half awake, he immediately stumbled out of the cot he laid on.

"Momma! My chest is hurting!" He called out frantically and was preparing to run out the door when he felt something bump against his ankles and he tripped to the ground.

His fall immediately snapped him back to his senses and the present when Anna suddenly appeared beside him, pale and weak figure like a ghost. Her brows creased in concern as she took the boy's arms and propped him up against her hollow shoulder.

Confused and dazed, he clutched to the woman's loose, blue blouse and began to cry into her comforting shoulder; completely persuaded that this woman was his mother and he didn't want to think anything different.

"Beckham, what's wrong? Are you alright?" She asked stroking his blonde curls and looked down at his terrified form.

He tried his best to ease his sobbing and stuttered words, "M-My chest, M-mom-ma," He stuttered balling his fists in her shirt and kept close to her heartbeat.

Anna felt her heart tug with compassion and pity when the little boy mistook her for his mother. She knew she should tell him that she wasn't the mother he begged for, but seeing the pain and fear in his eyes and hearing it in his voice; she knew she couldn't.

Anna's heart raced slightly in anxiety as she hugged the boy closer to her chest and comforted like she would if he was her own little boy. She imagined him to be Avery; the little girl she dreamed about every day and prayed that she didn't hate her.

"Momma, where's my medicine. I want Daddy!" He said through tears as the pain in his chest came more severe.

Anna began to fear. What if he didn't get his medicine? Could she really be able to sit there and tell him everything's alright when she knew that everything was crumbling? What would happen if something did go wrong with Beckham's heart? What would she say or do to his mother if she found him? What would Jenna do with him?

Urgh, the very thought sent chills up her spin. She decided to pray that he'd be okay and just be there for the boy no matter what. She knew that's what she'd want in a time like this.

"Don't worry, Beckham. Everything's okay… Momma's here. You're going to be okay," She said curling him into her shoulder and hugged him close, stroking his matted curls as he shook against her bones, weeping.

* * *

><p>Melody's stomach tied in knots as her body lurched forward when the car came to a complete stop. Melanie grinned happily and looked over at her daughter who was staring absentmindedly into space, brows furrow in concentration. She grinned and tapped her on the arm to get her attention.<p>

"C'mon, we don't have time to sit out in a car, don't we?" She said encouragingly and tried to hide her anxious smile behind an encouraging smirk.

Melody nodded stiffly and reached over to unbuckle herself as Melanie began to open the door. As Diamond shrugged and looked at a hesitant Melody, Melody suddenly sat straight in the car and looked forward.

"Wait. Mom, what would your mother do at a time like this? I remember you telling me she went through an emotional train wreck while in Vietnam. What would my grandmother do?" She asked anxiously as she stared at her mother; fear a clear emotion in her eyes.

Melanie sighed sympathetically and leaned towards her and grabbed her hand, "My parents never told me much about what happen in Vietnam. I can't blame them. But, I know my dad would force her to do this. I'll be playing my Dad and you'll be my mother. So, get out of the car, Jess!" She said in her best stern voice and grabbed her arm.

Melody couldn't help but grin to see her mother's child-like faith and happiness glimmer in her eyes at the thought of seeing her family after all these years. She forced herself to step out of the car and Diamond slightly followed behind, pushing Melody closer to the door.

She prayed that the senior couldn't remember her for she wasn't ready to walk down memory lane with her mother. Maybe, when all of this was over and they had Beckham back, she could return and visit the man. If was alive. Melody didn't want to mention it to Melanie since she was over the moon about seeing her father, but what if he wasn't? If Melody's math was right, he'd be in his mid-nineties. He was either very lucky or gone. The thought just made the knots in Melody's stomach tighter.

As Diamond strayed hesitantly behind, Melanie knocked on the door of the large building. Melody wished she could disappear. She wanted to find Beckham, not visit the elders. But, she knew she couldn't bail. Her mother obviously needed her there in case he was gone.

After a moment of knocking and Melody almost deciding to turn around, a woman with dark brown hair and light green eyes eventually opened the door. Melody arched her brows at the woman's appearance.

Her hair was tousled with curls and she wore long jeans a loose-fitting black-and-white blouse. Her eyes showed wearisome but her smile was warm and welcoming as she stared at Melanie.

Melody realized that the woman before her and Melanie actually looked a great deal alike. It wasn't until the woman wrapped her arms around Melanie and made a loud noise of unbelief and happiness, along with Melanie.

"Jessica! What are you doing here?" She heard her mother's happy voice question with wonder as she broke their embrace and stared at the woman with wide eyes.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I've been visiting Dad forever! Where have you been?" The woman, Jessica, replied grabbing Melanie's shoulder in a strong grip.

Melody's heart slightly picked up pace with nervousness and she turned back to looks at Diamond who was equally shocked and nervous at the two women before them. Diamond caught her frantic look and Diamond just shrugged; she had no idea what was going on.

"Dad's here? That's perfect, right Melody?"

Melody was forced to redirect her attention to the two women when she heard her mother's voice use her name and turned to see Melanie and the woman Jessica look at her. Jessica seemed shocked; as if she was questioning herself in her mind.

The look made Melody slightly nervous and she muttered her words of agreement, "Um, yeah. Perfect," She said giving her mother a forced grin that Melanie easily ignored.

"Is that Melody? Oh my God! I've seen her in pictures when she was little but she's gotten so old," The woman remarked in bewilderment.

Diamond scoffed at the statement and Melody turned back at her with a glare and Diamond just made a face and mouthed the word 'old' back to her and grinned. Melody rolled her eyes at the woman and back to her mother and Jessica.

"Yes, I'm Melody and I'm old, can we please speak with Frank Woods? It's actually urgent," Melody said trying to speed things up. She made sure to keep her hand in her pockets though she greatly wanted to wave them through to get the visit over and done. She still had to hear MacTavish's angry speech and tell them all that they found out and what was in the document she took about Jenna's plans.

Jessica was taken aback by her comment slightly but let the three in and led them through a hallway. Melody looked on the walls and saw numerous pictures hanging delicately. There was many with a woman with long brown hair and light green eyes, either holding a child or an antique photograph somewhere with a helicopter-filled sky. Melody guessed it was back in Vietnam.

There were more on the light blue walls. Children with identical green eyes. Melody counted all of them together; there were five of them. She guessed one of them must have been Melanie since they all looked alike. Melody then pieced together that this woman that was leading them was one of the small children in the frames.

So many pictures mounted the walls, not just of the immediate family, but others. Each grew elder as the pictures passed. Melody even found a memorial picture hanging on the wall towards the corner. She couldn't read the name as they passed, but she once again saw a pair of light green eyes. Her thoughts then polluted her mind. Did one of these children in the frames pass away? Almost all the children seemed to have green eyes. Did she have an aunt or uncle that had passed? She immediately felt guilty as she remembered how she was wasting her time being around all these pictures and family members. She scolded herself in her mind at the thoughts and wished she could make them disappear.

Her thoughts immediately changed as the group suddenly stopped and the woman, Jessica, turned to look at them. Melody almost felt like throwing her arms around the woman now that she knew that she was her aunt. She resisted herself and listened to her as she began to speak to them.

"Just let me tell him you're here. He's been getting a lot of visitors recently," She explained half-heartedly and rapped her knuckles against the door they all stood in front of.

There was a pause and the tension and atmosphere shifted when Jessica spoke, advising him of company wanting to speak with him.

There was a deep and compressed sigh from the room as the elder soaked in the statement, "I don't want to see anyone, Jess. Tell 'em to pack it up and get the hell outta here," He said slightly annoyed with a gruff voice.

Melanie scoffed softly remembering her father's attitude. She never realized how much she had exactly missed it. Of course, she would've thought different when she was younger like she remembered hating it when she was a teenager.

Jessica glanced back at them, seeing Melanie's persuading and pleading in her eyes, then turned back and stuck her head in the door again.

"Trust me Dad, you'll wanna see them. Besides, you need see some other humans," She joked slightly referring to his age and being cooped in the house all day.

He grinned half-heartedly then chuckled as a thought came into his mind, "Unless it was your mother then I won't even pretend to be thrilled," He said remembering his wife.

Jessica didn't seem to be too cheery remembering the woman her name was originated from. She nodded half-heartedly and told them they'd be in quicker than he could say Thorne. She then turned to Melanie and gave her a face.

"He's always asking for Mom. Sometimes, when I eat with him, he'll tell me all about Mom or Vietnam and all his missions and his old friends, Mason and Bowman. The man's stuck in the past, but he's an old war horse. Nobody can take that out of him," She said with a forced grin and tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

Melanie smiled as her sister clapped her shoulder and left to return to her duties in cleaning the house. Melody jumped slightly when Melanie suddenly gripped her daughter's hand and gave her a weak smile. She guessed Melanie needed some motivation or a simple push inside.

Melanie walked in his room slowly and quietly and Melody pondered on going in the room or not as she heard feet shuffle against the beige carpet. She looked back to see Diamond quietly backing up, pretending to be interested in some photograph on the wall. Melody arched her brow at her and Diamond gave an 'oh-so innocent' look that Melody clearly didn't buy.

Dragging Diamond with her, Melody slowly entered the room as she saw her mother smiling and sat down some feet across from the gray-haired elder. Melody immediately tensed at the sight and forced Diamond in front of her as they walked into the room.

"Dad? It's me, Melanie," Melanie said softly and pointed at herself, placing a hand on her chest.

The elder immediately looked up at the voice and recognition of the voice and face. Even Diamond could see that the man wished he could jump out of his chair and wrap his arms around his oldest daughter.

"Melanie? I-I thought you were gone? What happened?" He questioned brown eyes wide with curiosity and confusion.

Melody watched in silence as the two filled the gaps with each other, "It's a long story, Dad. I'm sorry for abandoning the family like that. I know you guys must've been pissed off with me for that," Melanie said with a half-hearted grin.

Frank just scoffed, "Yeah, I was thinking of disowning you. But, your mother went and been herself and told me that it was probably the best for you and the kids' safety at the time. It did hurt at first," He said remembering the times of worry and slight anger.

Melanie arched a sympathetic eyebrow at him and grinned, "Sorry. But, don't you guys worry. Everything's been settled and straightened out. Ben and I are back together and things are perfect," Melanie reassured the man with a smile and green eyes on the verge of happy tears.

Melody scoffed at her mother's words. She wished she could get this going a little faster. She wouldn't do or say anything to ruin their moment, but she wished to be gone and at the base with Price and MacTavish and the rest of the gang to tell them all she had discovered.

"So, what brings you here after so long?" He asked with a sigh and looked at Melanie's reaction.

She smiled; she was glad things were already back to normal, "Actually, it's Melody. She needs to ask you something," Melanie said hesitantly and turned to look back at her daughter who was passing by Diamond.

Frank caught sight of Diamond before Melody and his eyebrows creased, "Who are you?" he asked eyeing her as Melody passed.

Diamond shrugged at the older man, "Third wheel," She joked slightly as Frank then widened his eyes at the woman that now approached him.

Memories of a small toddler with large brown eyes filled his mind as he looked at the woman in front of him. Was that really Melody? He couldn't believe it and wouldn't without full proof. But, if she was, he couldn't help but wonder how she got all the scars of her face and what the markings on her forearms said. Then, it clicked; he knew that she must've been in the army also. He scoffed; apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

"I hate to be unfriendly, but why the hell was your dossier wanted so badly?" Melody demanded.

"Melody!" Melanie said sternly under her breath and kicked her daughter's calf in scolding.

Frank just chuckled at the younger woman as she crossed her arms across her chest, "Don't know what to tell ya," He said simply and looked at her with warm eyes.

Melody arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips as Melanie nearly shoved Melody out of the way as she began to speak.

"Dad, what ever happened to Mom? I haven't seen her in forever," Melanie asked looking at a picture resting delicately on the wall beside a frame of medals and awards.

Frank's grin slithered off his face and he began to look depressed, "Not too long ago, she started acting weird. Saying that she had to go see her brother, make sure he was sleeping right. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then, just last year, she kept saying that one of you kids was sick and she had to get medicine before Frankie competed for his game. That was when he was ten years old," He paused to sigh, remembering the woman, "To make it short, she was taken to a special facility almost three or four years ago. Damn; she went through all this shit just to lose her mind," He said softly to himself.

Melanie sat back in her chair, soaking in what her elder father just told her. Her mother was gone and probably lost all memory of her and her siblings? This seemed unfair. Not just to her, but to her mother. She and Frank had been through many horrible things while in Vietnam and through the Cold War. They had lost friends and even family in their lifetime. Melanie knew her mother didn't deserve to just waste away until she finally forgot how to breath.

Diamond tapped Melody on the shoulder. Melody looked at her with an arched brow as she tapped her finger against her watch. Melody nodded knowing she was right; they didn't really have the time to sit around like this.

"So, what happened to my other little granddaughter, Krista, right? You guys ran off so fast that I never even got to see her," He said with a joking grin.

Melanie smiled, "Krista's been doing really good. She's married and they have three children; the oldest is Viktoria, then Jazmine following. Just recently they had another baby, a little boy they named Jackson. They're so sweet. Viktoria just turned twelve last week and Viktoria's ninth birthday is next week. Jackson's turning six this November. I feel so old, one of my grandkids is almost a teenager," Melanie smiled with a sigh.

"Humph, old. Trust me; all of my old friends would kill to be your age again," Frank replied with a grin and pointed at her with a joking-scolding finger.

Melanie cocked her head and nodded, agreeing with her father. Frank then turned to Melody who tapped her foot impatiently.

"What about you, kid? What have you been up to since you were four and when you were taken to Ben's?" He asked half-heartedly, almost as if he wanted to talk with her, but didn't want to know the answer. He probably knew some of the answer already.

Melody tucked her hands in her pocket and softly kicked the beige carpet with her heel as she thought over her answer. Her whole life seemed to flash in her thoughts as she thought over it.

Her mother's funeral; her first memory of complete heartbreak, being practically drug out from her home and her nanny Drew, the many days with Ben during her childhood, walking all over town with Becca when she was a teenager and they mindless conversations of stalkers and creepers that could roam the nights often joking and pushing each other towards the "hot spots" jokingly, times with Zachary; from age eight to eighteen, it still made her heart ache when she thought of her "brother" hugging her and making her promise to come see him the second she could come back home. Her heart broke remembering the promise she had obviously broken.

Then, her military life came to mind. From her first minute there, to the last smile and laugh she shared with her team. Her heart ached remembering their faces and all the memories they had during her five years in the U.S.M.C. Then, her days with the Task Force and her first time seeing MacTavish, in India where she was staying with the doctor. She still shivered remembering the deep, opened gash in his upper torso; covered in blood.

When she saw all three of them, Diamond, Frank and Melanie, staring at her, she knew she had to say something, "Um, you can say a lot of things have happened. I joined the Marines when I was eighteen and eventually I joined another squad called the Task Force 141. Things… happened," Melody said hesitantly as she looked over at Diamond who scoffed with an arched, ironic brow, "But, long story short. Things happened, met my husband, and now I have four kids….. Minus one, actually," Melody said rushing through her "life story".

"About a week or two ago, Melody's son, Beckham, was taken from us. So, after Melody decided to quit being a fly on the wall, we went after an informant of the woman we know who took him. We found your dossier there and it seemed as though someone was prying through. We'd like to know why and if there's any kind of way that you could've been involved or know of anything leading to Beckham's location," Diamond interrupted, continuing Melody's thoughts as she looked over and saw her troubled face.

Frank's eyebrows creased in confusion and speculation, "So, you're saying you came here because my great-grandson is missing and you think _I_ know something of it?" he asked already knowing the answer. He sighed, "Well, if my memory serves me right, then I know nothing…" He said leaning back in his chair and gripping the sides of the arms.

Melody nodded to the older man and stormed out of the room, without a word. Diamond knew she should follow, but as Frank began to speak again, Diamond halted in her path and turned back to the man as Melanie slowly stood up.

"I was hoping she'd leave," Frank started slightly pushing himself forward so he could see the two women in the room.

Diamond didn't know whether to feel as though he wanted Melody gone or wanted to say something, "What do you mean you were hoping she'd leave?" She questioned crossing her arms across her chest with furrowed brows.

"I mean that I didn't want to say this in front of her. Last week, some kid came through here. I didn't really catch his name too well, but I remember hearing James. Well, he wanted my knowledge of Vietnam and Hanoi. I wouldn't give it to him just like anyone else 'cause I thought they were some story wanting reporters. They always come around this time to get some kind of information for stories or articles. Pisses me off… But, he started talking about this Beckham boy. Had I known that he was actually my great-grandson, I would have never given him the information…," Frank began to explain, making focused eye-contact with Diamond.

Diamond felt her heart pick up its pace in her chest at the information he was telling her. James had been here and threatened information out of the retired Veteran? But, what information had the bastard wanted?

"What information? What did you tell him?" Diamond demanded taking a step towards him.

Frank was hesitant to answer as he glanced at Melanie's concerned and wary face. He hated that he saw so much of Jesse in her expressions; they only made him feel worse.

"Let's just say this. If you don't find him in three to four days… You better start making funeral arrangements," Frank said sorrowfully and looked into Diamond's black-brown eyes.

Diamond felt as though her heart had dropped to her stomach at his words. What was going on here? She wanted to sprint out of the room and never stop running till she made it back to the base. She wished things weren't always so complicated when living with the Task Force.

'Holy fuck! Urgh! Things were simpler before I fuckin' messed with this group!' She thought angrily and threw the door from her path and stormed out the front door where Melody waited.

Melanie still stood in her father's room. She knew she should leave, but she couldn't get herself to. She sighed and brushed back her hair and looked down at her father.

"I should go, they're my ride… I'll keep you posted now that I know you're actually alive," She joked stepping towards him and smiled.

He just chuckled dryly at her statement, "Hey, you can't kill me. You remember that, okay?" He said with a half-hearted grin and patted the hand that reached out to him.

Melanie laughed softly at the old phrase she remembered so well in her childhood, "I promise to come back. And with the kids and maybe even Ben. It'd be nice for my grandkids to see their great grandpa; Viktoria would just wrap herself around your finger…. I've missed you, Dad," Melanie said slowly edging herself towards the door.

Frank laughed at her calm and sorrowful closing, "I've missed you too, Mel. Your mother would've loved to see you and Melody here. Just remember that she loved you kids, okay? She may not remember by now, but you make sure you remember," He said looking back at her and glanced at the picture of Jesse Woods when she was a young woman.

Melanie followed her father's glance and looked at her mother. How she missed that face! She knew she had to get going though it was the complete opposite of what her heart and being desired. She wished she could just go back in time; way before she met Ben and just after the whole conflict with Vietnam and Hanoi. Just good and happy times with her parents and her young brother Frank Jr. or Frankie, and with her other siblings that she desired to see and visit like the "old days"; Jessica, Samuel, and Samantha. She hadn't seen the twins since they were nine or ten.

Melanie forced her feet to move and looked at her father one last time before disappearing behind the door. She met her sister in the hall one last time and embraced her tightly; promising to come back and visit soon once all of this was over.

She just prayed that she could keep this promise this time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What did you tell him, Woods? Tell me, tell me, tell me! ... Wait, I already know :P Sorry guys it took so long for me to update; I've been so busy with school the past two weeks that it's not even funny. But, I'm on Summer Break now and there should be some more time to update:)**

**Chapter Questions: What will happen to Beckham? Will he get his medicine? What will Anna do to help him? What did Frank tell James that would involve Beckham's early death? What will happen when they go after Jenna? Will they be able to find Beckham in time or will they be too late?**

**Stay tuned and please review!**

**(P.S. I'll try to fit in any information I have of Black Ops that I can in here, but you know, it's not like I created the game so you'll have to suffice with my version of an elder Frank Woods... Thank you for reading also, it means so much. I love you all! *Muwah!* ... Sorry, that was a little weird )**


	39. Chapter 39: Not In A Million Years

MacTavish sat outside looking through endless files; trying to find anything on Jenna and where she could have possibly kept Beckham. He would look up occasionally to make sure that Gracie or Christopher didn't wander then would look back down.

It had been weeks since he was taken. The whole family was worried; it had surprisingly hit Benjamin hard when he learned of his grandson's kidnapping. MacTavish probably guessed it had something to do when Melody was younger or something that the elder man always spoke of. But, he knew that 99% of that was because it was his grandson and he was scared to death to think what could happen to him.

He scoffed; couldn't blame the man. Every second he knew Beckham was gone –probably scared, cold, hungry, and close to death- it broke him. That was his son; both he and Melody had retired from this lifestyle so nothing like this would happen to the children.

Now, he thought back on the useless hopes with a mocking scoff. Once you're in, you can never get back to a normal life. He just wished he had known that sooner. He would have never let the boys roam around at the graduation. He blamed himself for Beckham's taking. He let them run free and didn't keep a close eye on them. He thought that since there were teachers and parents everywhere, they'd be the least bit safe like they would've if he, Melody, or any of the others watched them.

As he searched through files, a picture fell out and landed on his lap. His brow creased as he picked it up and looked at the photograph. His heart dropped to his stomach as he looked down at the smiling face of Gracie. He remembered when that picture was taken; it was just last year. Gracie and the rest of the kids were at Krista and Jeremy's house for the 4th of July and Gracie just begged to get on the four-wheeler like Jamie-Lynn and Viktoria did.

He sighed remembering that day; the days when she could talk as clear as day as someone her age.

"_Daddy, tan I ride, too? Please, Daddy?" Gracie said running up with Jazmine on her heels and took her father's hand as she pointed at the black and white four-wheeler that Jamie had just hopped down from; wiping off dust from her pink skirt and running her hand through her inky curls._

_MacTavish looked at the vehicle skeptically and looked back down at the young girl, "I dunno, Gracie. You could get hurt," He said giving her an unsure frown._

_Gracie didn't like the answer, she frown and whined slightly, "But, Daddy! Sissy got to go and so did Bubba!" She said creasing her small eyebrows lightly._

_He thought she had a point and Christopher and Beckham were barely a year older than her, "Okay, Gracie. You just be extra careful, okay?" He said picking her up as Gracie gave him a big, toothy smile. MacTavish smiled knowing he'd do anything to see that smile and hear her joyous laugh._

"_Don't worry, Uncle John. My daddy is the best driver in the whole world! Even Jackson gets on with Viktoria," Eight year old Jazmine reassured her uncle as she followed him over to the four-wheeler._

"_I don't doubt you, kid," He said with a grin and ruffled the girl's hair._

_Gracie excitedly clapped her hands as Jeremy took his young niece and placed her carefully in front of him so he could make sure she was perfectly fine as the girl placed her hands on the bars, some inches from her uncle's hands._

_MacTavish looked over at Melody who was clearly on the edge of her chair with Krista and Melanie as Jackson ran inside the house with Christopher and Beckham following him. Melody clearly didn't like the idea of her two year old sitting on the high-powered vehicle. MacTavish gave her a reassuring grin as Jeremy then took off slowly with Gracie._

Everything seemed so calm and at ease that day. Just any old family gathering; he remembered thinking that the kids were lucky they celebrated two 4th of Julys'. His family on his mother's side had lived farther away than his aunts and uncle on his father's side. It had been his favorite holiday when he was younger; now, he hated the very words.

_Jeremy had begun to pick up some speed as he turned the corner, fixing to park the vehicle by the front yard again as Gracie bounced excitedly at the ride. Her cheers could be heard as he sped around with her, waving at MacTavish before slamming her hands back in position when Jeremy would press his arms closer to her, signaling her to grab the bars again. Melody even began to calm down some and smile when she saw the girl's wide smile, wind-blown curls, and bright green eyes as they turned one more corner to the front yard._

_But, Jeremy forgot about the loose gravel they had recently lain down around the turn as he sped around it. Krista had remembered, but when she came to the edge of the porch to warn him, it was too late. Jeremy had lost control of the four-wheeler and when he went across the pothole in the driveway, he was thrown off._

_All Melody or MacTavish could remember of that day was the image of their young daughter; pale with fright, grip the bars terrified that she was left alone to steer the large vehicle. Gracie gripped the gas clutch tightly and she then sped off in a second toward the old mill and barn. _

_MacTavish jumped out of his seat and immediately started running towards the vehicle. He remembered hearing Melody's terrified scream as she ran down to the mill, some feet behind MacTavish. His heart beat like a hummingbird in his chest and he could literally feel his skin flush with fright._

_He watched as Gracie zoomed into the metal barn wall, screaming at the top of her lungs. He couldn't believe that the vehicle had picked up that much speed that it went through the wall. Well, it was an old barn. Gracie immediately let go of the vehicle and wrapped her arms around her head as she remembered from the stories she was told by her mother or father; shrieking with terror all the way._

_MacTavish's heart shattered with fear when he suddenly heard the girl's screaming just stop abruptly. He remembered running in the whole the four-wheeler created and finding Gracie smashed against the pile of wood stacked in the corner, one or two logs laying over her._

After that, MacTavish only remembered the inside of a hospital room, waiting impatiently outside with the rest of the family; Krista, Jeremy, Becca, Dunn, Diamond, Melanie and Ben, Jamie and David, his sister Jessica and her husband, and even Price and Rachel had made it to the hospital when they heard of Gracie's accident. He remembered that Gracie was only given one person per visitor when arriving there, so Melody had went with her. His heart still ached thinking of that fun-filled holiday that ended in disaster.

When he was able to see Gracie, it broke his heart to see her hooked and strapped to machines, blood being restored in her fragile body. When her skull came in contact with the metal and the wood, it had caused a concussion and lost a lot of blood. He remembered her white, floral dress soaked in blood and dirt.

They were then told that she was lucky to even be able breath on her own and that if she hadn't protected herself from the incoming blow, it would've been a strong chance that she would've died right there. After that, Gracie had been in shock and it rendered her speech.

It was like she was learning to communicate all over again. The first six or seven months she had only pointed to what she wanted or made some sort of signal. Just recently she was regaining small words she used when she was about one. Simple commands like 'Sippie' for something to drink. Or 'hungy' if she was hungry since she was having trouble regaining pronunciation of 'r' as well as 'w' 'c' and 'l'. Although, if strained hard enough, she could make out some small sentences.

He sighed as he looked up and saw Gracie prancing around the yard, trying to make Christopher play Cinderella with her like Jamie would if she hadn't been with Viktoria for the weekend. His thoughts then traveled to Christopher. He seemed so distant now. He thought about how he and Beckham were always happier when they were together; always smiling and laughing.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a familiar car pull into the driveway. He didn't know whether to feel angry or happy when he saw his wife's face in the passenger side. Christopher noticed the face second and immediately ran over to her side of the door.

Gracie halted in her twirling when she saw her mother and Diamond step out of the car, MacTavish approaching the two.

Christopher was already leaping into his mother's arms when Melody winced from the pain in her arm and Christopher got off her, afraid he had hurt her somehow.

"I'm so glad you're back, Momma! I thought you left us like in my dream! I missed you, please don't leave again!" Christopher said hugging her legs with a smile.

Melody wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "I missed you too, Chris," She said with a grin.

Gracie was in MacTavish's arms, reaching for her mother, but MacTavish held her back when he saw her hand.

"Melody, what happened to your hand?" He demanded completely horrified of the dried, bloody palm and the stub that used to be her pinkie.

"That was the trouble I told you about-"Diamond stated with a sheepish smile as Christopher clutched to Diamond's hand in welcome and relief they were both back.

"But, we don't have time to talk about it. We got the information we need about Beckham and what Jenna's going to do to him," Melody said with a pleading tone.

Though MacTavish wanted to argue with her, but he figured that would be left for last. Beckham was more important than screaming at someone who wasn't going to listen.

Melody immediately walked into the house when she realized something that made her nervous; where was Jamie? It was instinct for her to fear when she couldn't see that her child was in the house.

"Where's Jamie? Is she alright?" She immediately asked when MacTavish came in behind Diamond and Christopher. Gracie just stuffed her face in her father's shoulder, trying to make him uncomfortable so she could be set down.

MacTavish rolled his shoulder from her budging and just grinned at Melody reassuringly, "Don't worry. She's just with Viktoria for the weekend," He quickly reassured her as she nodded and placed the files on the kitchen table.

Diamond picked up Christopher and held him on her waist since he was refusing to go with Gracie in the playroom and stood beside Melody as she opened the document and flipped through them.

"We haven't got much but we got plenty to go on. We don't know her location right now, but we learned her plans. Here, it has it copied out on this file. Lost this to get it," Melody said keeping her eyes on the document and wiggled her fingers, showing MacTavish the missing finger.

"But, thanks to Diamond, we were able to get it and get out before back-up arrived. On the way back, I was reading through this and I saw her plans. It's nothing major since it's still in progress, but they have the perfect subjects; Beckham and another prisoner that I don't know the name of. They do have a code that's filled in the location, but I have no idea how to crack it," Melody continued glancing at MacTavish who was slowly soaking this in with creased brows.

Christopher mimicked his father's expression though he had no idea what was going on. All he could understand was that his mother had been hurt and they had found something about Beckham. He felt sad and depressed at the mention of his name. He just wished they were all home and everything was back to normal.

"What about these plans? What are they?" MacTavish asked as he scoped through the biography written on the side of Beckham's picture. His skin boiled with anger when he saw that there were numerous pictures of the boy, one even from the park the day Beckham wanted to take home the boy. He had never even seen someone with a camera. Why hadn't he known someone was tracking them since Jamie was born?

"I'm not so sure, but I did read about some kind of injection. It was a weird name, uhh… Nova 6. Apparently it was highly dangerous back in the sixties. I ran over this report that my grandmother made from the files they extracted during Vietnam. Then, it was a gas, a biochemical weapon. She copied down the information she found and by reading it, this was awful. It would peel skin, induce vomiting, everything. You'd be dead in seconds. The sickest thing is that they tested it on infants. Children younger than Gracie. Just the thought makes my skin crawl," Melody said with a glare as she began to describe with less graphics since Christopher was nearby and she didn't want to scare him.

"So, she's trying to bring it back, but somehow differently? Would it be as deadly as the original?" He asked immediately fearing for his young son and even the other prisoner that was kept there.

"I don't know but let's hope it's not. We gotta find Beckham; we only have three days until we're too late," Melody said looking at her husband with a sorrowful expression. Just by looking at the other they could tell that they both shared the same exact thoughts; what if they were too late?

As the two mourned silently for the possible death of their son, Diamond continued to stand beside them but was too carried off into her thoughts to focus on anything Melody had just said. Was that what Frank Woods told James? Could Jenna really get this Nova 6 up and running again? And if she did, would she really use it like an epidemic and kill thousands like Makarov did? Diamond didn't believe that she would go to those extremes since all she wanted was to wound and kill Melody. She scoffed as a mental image appeared in her mind; a cat swatting at her prey before completely devouring it.

Christopher could sense his 'auntie's' tense stance and hopped down from her arms and moved to his mother, "Momma, is my brother gonna die?" He said, sobs choking his voice and eyes clouding.

Melody looked down at Christopher and glanced at MacTavish who shared the same unsure, hesitant expression. She sighed and placed Christopher on the bar in the kitchen so she would be eye-to-eye with him.

She tried to give him her best encouraging grin but even Gracie could've seen how forced and fake it was. As Christopher's tears began to pool over and slowly drift down his smooth, round cheek, Melody placed her hands on both sides of his face and pulled him close to her; all prepared words vanished.

"I promise, Christopher, I will do anything in my power to get Beckham back. Then, we can all be a normal family again. I promise you this, Chris. I love you so much," She said trying her best not to cry in front of him as he pushed himself off the bar and wrapped his arms and legs around her waist and placed his face against her neck, tears slowly streaming down his face and dropping off the tip of nose to Melody's shirt.

Diamond looked at MacTavish and gave her best reassuring grin though they both didn't buy it. Things were definitely going to get very complicated now on and they couldn't be wrong for one moment or Beckham would be dead. Diamond wasn't going to let this happen. They all survived through Makarov's and Zakhaev's reign; why she they be defeated so easily to Jenna who wasn't even brave enough to show her face or do anything for this 'cause' of hers herself.

No, Diamond wasn't going to lose to a coward. Not in a million years.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know it's kinda short, sorry about that. I'll try to make them longer and quit being so lazy. Yes, I admit it, I am a couch potato, especially in summer. But who isn't? Vacation time, right?**

**Chapter Questions: What will happen to Beckham and Anna now? Will Jenna test the Nova 6 shot on Beckham and Anna? Will it succeed or fail? Will Diamond and Melody fulfil the promises they have made?**

**Stay tuned and please review. Also, I have a poll up on my profile. It was simply made because I was bored stiff and also kinda curious. Who's your favorite OC? I'd like to know so I'm not boring you guys with one character you don't care for. Thanks for reading:)**


	40. Chapter 40: Before the Corruption Came

Melody wiped another tear from Christopher's cheek then placed him on her hip. As Diamond turned to walk away, MacTavish reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"I wasn't going to yell at Melody now, but you're different. I was thinking why the bloody hell would you let Melody go all the way to Arizona?" He demanded pulling her over to the side with a stern expression.

Diamond scoffed and arched an eyebrow at him, "Excuse me? I'm not Chris or Jamie or Gracie? I'm not your kid; thank god," She said lightly joking and crossed her arms.

MacTavish just scoffed at her, "Can I just have my answer. I'll yell at you tomorrow," He said with a tired expression and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

"I guess to help save your son? Seriously MacTavish, if we hadn't gone we never would've gotten that information on Jenna and her plans. If we hadn't gotten the Intel, we never would've known what was going to happen. We'd be running around like chickens with our heads off for weeks and Beckham would be dead. I'm pretty sure you don't want that to happen?" She said crossing her arms.

MacTavish sighed knowing she was right. He just didn't like not knowing that they were doing this, "Fine, you got me there. Just tell me next time, Jamie's been too quiet since you and Melody took that little adventure. I just don't want them to face what both Melody and I went through. Especially Gracie, she's just now recovering from trauma. Losing Beckham and her mother would …. Well, I'm afraid that she'd end up like Melody at her age. Which isn't very pretty," He said with a scoff as he curled a finger in the hair of a doll that was left out by Jamie that morning.

Diamond scoffed in agreement and sat back on the arm of an arm chair and looked up at MacTavish, "So… What are we gonna do now?" She asked leaning back comfortably.

MacTavish stared down at the doll with large brown eyes. He honestly had no idea what they were going to do. What was described in the files was way beyond his experience. He had no idea what this Nova 6 was used for in its day and who possibly could've been the unlucky victims of the gas. He felt slightly sorry for those people who had experienced this though he wasn't sure what the gas did completely. He decided to forget about it and try to contact Price later. He looked over at Diamond who was still awaiting his answer with an impatient expression.

He sighed, "Honestly? I don't know. We'll have to get a hold of Price; see if he knows anything. But in the meantime, I have to head over to Krista's because Jamie forgot her doll and is throwing a fit. Probably tell her the 'good' news," He said sarcastically grabbing the arm and snatching the keys on the coffee table before leaving.

Diamond hopped off the arm and crossed her arms in confusion and thought of what she should do next. She watched MacTavish as he halted in the middle of the doorway and turned to look over at Diamond who arched an eyebrow.

"Stay," He said pointing a finger at her with a fake stern face and began to smile as he turned away when Diamond wrinkled her nose at him.

Seeing MacTavish disappear she sighed and rocked on her heels. She had been in the house probably a million times before, but it just seemed awkward when she stood there without one of her "shadows" behind her. It was either Christopher or Beckham or Gracie when MacTavish wasn't around. Jamie was different with her; shy and distant, actually.

Jamie had always been like that ever since she began to wobble on two legs. Diamond scoffed remembering how the girl would always play with her hands or pat her cheeks with a soft smile, often croon her name, Didend, as she would've said.

Diamond scoffed at the memory. As she thought about the twins, she realized how much Christopher, especially, reminded her of Grinch. Though they looked like clones of MacTavish, the way they acted and how they talked. It was probably just her imagination getting ahead of her though.

She sighed thinking of one of them being gone forever. She couldn't help but wonder what the whole family and herself would do if they did lose Beckham. She knew she'd probably stay away from MacTavish and especially Melody; basically out of guilt and fear that she had broken their trusts. She was the kids' 'honorary' godmother. She still thought it to be strange to have such the position and thought that Melody actually asked if she would.

She chuckled remembering how Melody would stall before she finally asked her. That seemed like decades ago, now. So much had happened in the past ten years that it almost seemed like a dream. Now, everything was beginning to be complicated as they were for years and she just hoped that it wouldn't mean a cut in the team again. She wasn't ready for that again.

She then began to think about Frost. For some reason, she just thought different about him. Before he had been just a friend that she would tease and poke fun at like she and MacTavish had done since the first time they met each other. But, now it seemed different. Just the thought of him gone out of her life forever made her chest tense with loneliness.

Her heart began to beat fast; did she have feelings for Frost like she had for Grinch? She felt mad at herself for thinking so. Grinch was, undoubtedly, the love of her life. Was it as bad as she thought to throw away the memories they made for Frost?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Gracie's merry giggle come from her room. Diamond rubbed her temples as she heard Melody and Gracie making up the lost time as Melody struggled to get the toddler in bed. Diamond chuckled and plopped down on the couch as she waited for MacTavish to arrive. She thought that they'd all have a better state of mind if they knew they were alright.

* * *

><p>Anna began to worry as Beckham continued to sleep beside her. She had placed him on the cot above them and wrapped him tight in the coarse blanket. She could see his chest shakily move up and down as he took deep breaths in his sleep. He mumbled in his sleep and often whispered for multiple names. Mostly Mommy or Daddy, but sometimes Auntie or even Chris.<p>

When she'd see him squirm around and whimper, she'd place a hand on his cheek or forehead and tell him things were alright and that Momma was there to calm him down. She sighed thinking about his medicine. She knew this pain in his chest and discomfort was because he didn't have it.

It scared her to think that this boy could possibly die in minutes in front of her and not even knowing it. She knew she had to do anything and everything she could for the boy since his mother helped her for three years before Anatoly and Jenna. It was beyond a doubt, what she should do. It was just _if_ she could.

To face the facts, she could barely take care of herself let alone anyone else. She guessed she and Kyle were equivalent in weight and almost height; the boy was tall for his age. She knew her diet wasn't what it should be at all. Even though she was given food before she never ate it but nibbled on some pieces. Now, with Kyle regularly checking in on her and Beckham, he'd do anything he could to make her eat but she always gave her portion to Beckham and watch the two converse or sometimes even play quietly.

Now, as she saw no sign of Kyle around his usual time and Beckham still sleeping beside her, she began to fear that everything was crashing around her. Was this the day? No, it couldn't be. She wouldn't allow it. No one had come for the boy, yet. She knew someone would come.

She just wanted to jump on the bed and clutch the boy tight; demand that if they wanted to kill the boy they had to kill her to. As she thought about it, they just might. She didn't care. She wasn't going to live much longer anyway. Might as well try and make her death useful.

She just reached up and placed a hand on the boy's arm. She felt her heart stop under her brittle bones. He was so cold; she prayed that it was because of the freezing air that blew in from the old air vents. To clear her mind, she crawled on the cot and grabbed the boy's form in her arms and drug him to her lap.

"Beckham? Beckham, sweetie, it's Momma. You have to wake up, okay? It's time to wake up," She mumbled terrified and stroked his cold cheeks.

She studied his face and the rest of his body. He didn't look pale, just deadly cold. She watched as he made no facial expression or no twitch of a muscle. He was perfectly still. Her heart began to race in her chest and she placed his body back on the cot.

Maybe it was just her imagination getting the best of her. Yeah, she just had to close her eyes for a while and when she'd open them, she'd see Beckham sitting upright on the cot while Kyle came in with a new book for him and he'd smile weakly.

Anna's heart refused to decrease as she slowly closed her eyelids. She was met with the familiarity of the dark and memories of being locked in Anatoly's cells flashed through her mind. She also began to think of happy times to get her mind away from death and suffering.

She thought of Simon and the first time he met her brother and the rest of the family. She remembered how he smiled and joked with them; automatically fitting in. She remembered times with her brother when they were kids, barely older than Beckham.

She thought about her daughter; her precious Avery. She hadn't seen her since she was just four months old, but she treasured every second spent with her, both inside and out of the womb. She remembered feeling her first heartbeat against her stomach and she remembered when she had told Simon of her discovery of pregnancy. She still smiled today thinking of the look of shock and fear that froze him in place. She always said that it was a good kind of fear.

Her happy thoughts were interrupted when she heard heavy feet shuffle against the floor outside their cell. Her heart stopped in place and her breath became shallow. She wished she could crawl into a corner and disappear from the world all together. This wasn't happening; it couldn't be! She immediately sat on Beckham's cot and pulled him into her lap again as she doorknob moved and clicked as the guard outside unlocked it.

She clutched to the boy for dear life when she looked up to see the face that was going to drag her or the boy away from each other forever. Her pupils dilated with fear and her breathing came out as gasps as she saw the face of the man.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" Avery cried out and sprung abruptly from her bed.<p>

Her breathing was still deep and shallow and her heart raced as she slowly took in reality. Sweat glued to her face and her hair was a mess to show that she had been tossing and turning all night. She looked over at the digital clock on her nightstand and saw that it was only three in the morning.

She sighed and crossed her legs and placed her face in her hands. The dream seemed so real. She dreamt of her mother, sitting in a dark room in the middle of nowhere. She was just sitting there, holding someone. She couldn't understand it; she had watched her mother's tired and pale face freeze in utter fear as a dark figure drug her away.

Was this some kind of vision? Surely not, right? There was no way she could tell the future. She wasn't sure if her suspicions were even true or not. Her father had repeatedly told her that Anna was gone, but that never convinced her heart.

She missed her mother every day; she didn't remember much besides the soft hum of a Southern accent. She had seen millions of pictures and listened to thousands of stories, but it was never the same. She wanted to be there in those happy pictures; be a part of the family memories that made her grandmother and uncle smile in recognition.

She sighed and tossed the covers from her legs and looked down at the bright swirls in her pajama bottoms. She sighed and placed her head against her knees and hugged her small frame. She felt so alone. Yes, she had her father, grandparents, her uncle Blake, and all her friends around the Task Force and she was more than grateful for that. But, it didn't feel right. Everyone had their mother, all the kids she called 'cousins'. She felt like she was the only one in the world who didn't have that woman to call her their own flesh and blood and wrap them in loving hugs and tell them how much she loved her.

She wondered if she ever remembered her. Did her mother ever sit up at night like she would and miss her presence? Did she ever blame herself for something that has happened in her life? Did she even think about her? Or was she a burden amongst others? Did she forget about the baby she left at home? Was her father the only parent she really had?

Avery felt her lip quiver as tears began to stream down her cheeks as her thoughts grew stronger. Her mother didn't want her. Was it true or was she beating herself up again like her therapist would say? As tears blurred her vision and her soul began to crumble, she jumped from her bed and flung herself out her door.

In the dark halls of the house, she made her way to her father's room, past the closets and the bathroom. She didn't even think to knock or anything and just flew in the door. There she saw her father jumping up from his bed; awaken by his daughter's sudden appearance.

His vision was blurred as he tried to force himself awake and the girl crawled onto his bed; tears pouring down her cheeks and sobs shaking her chest and voice. Simon couldn't understand what had overcome the girl, but it wasn't something new. He clutched her shaking frame as she buried her face into his neck and wrapped her arms tight around him.

"Mom forgot about me, Daddy. It's all my fault," She said in a wavering voice.

Simon sighed and stroked her long hair that was damp from the sweat, "Avery, baby, you know that isn't true. Anna loved you so much," He said, feeling the tug that accompanied the sound of Anna's name.

Avery couldn't say anything. Her emotions were at their peak and she was tired of being alone. She wanted to be close to her father like she had been when she was younger, but it was all so confusing. She knew it was because she was older and that terrified her. Would this just get worse? When she was a teenager; would she be out of control? She didn't want that. Her father was already going through so much with her constant nightmares and the therapy sessions.

Without a word to say, Simon just lay back against the headboard and softly moved Avery so her head was resting against his chest. Avery hugged his chest tight and took comfort in the arm that wrapped her closer to him. It had been forever since she had really slept in her father's bed. She thought she had to outgrow that, but now she didn't care if she was three of thirty-three. She wanted her father.

Simon held her as her tears and sobbing decreased ever so slowly and she eventually fell back asleep on his chest. As he felt her small heartbeat against his side, he remembered when Anna used to cry in the middle of the night when she was pregnant and he'd hold her until she fell asleep. Everything Avery did reminded him of Anna.

He always saw her in Avery's smile, her laugh, and even her voice though it wasn't tinted with the Southern accent like Anna's. He missed her every day and wished he had his best friend with him again. He tried to keep a straight face for his daughter and tell her the millions of stories he had with Anna, but she seemed distant. He wanted to know why, but she'd never reveal anything to him.

He sighed and slightly placed his chin against her head and kissed Avery's forehead. Knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he carefully got up from the bed and stroked her hair and tucked the covers close to her body as he looked at a picture of Anna. He smirked and grabbed the frame to get a better look.

'Ann, if you only knew how much you're needed,' He thought stroking the woman's face with his thumb before placing the frame back on the desk.

He walked across his room quietly and kept the door cracked before he left to occupy himself with something in the living room.

* * *

><p>Kyle ran down the long and endless halls of the building his mother kept Anna and Beckham at. He had overheard the news and what they were going to do them and he couldn't have that. It couldn't end like that; there just had to be a way to save them. He didn't care what his mother would do to him if she found out. At least he'd be doing the right thing.<p>

His heart and feet moved together unanimously as he sped up and down the stairs. He knew Anna and Beckham were on the fifth floor. The way always seemed so easy and fast to him before, but now it seemed to drag on and he was terrified that he'd be too late.

Everything was crashing down and his world had been turned completely upside down. It was already a mess, but now things seemed to be worse. He couldn't believe that his mother was insane enough to do this. As he thought about it, he realized that this woman who was an exact replica of the original was not his mother. His real mother would never have even thought of this let alone plan it.

This woman was cruel and heartless and troubled. He wished he could help her too and get things back to normal, but he knew now that that dream would never become a reality. She had taken over his mother's soft heart and replaced it with a cold and broken one; one that couldn't be warmed or fixed.

Tears began to form at the edge of his eyes as the true, cold facts came crashing down on him. His real mother died the same time his father was killed. Maybe he was an orphan. He didn't care now, what mattered was saving Beckham and Anna. One floor down.

His calves were beginning to burn from the overuse since he had been running for almost a mile since he was down at the small apartment when he stumbled across his mother's plans when cleaning. Sweat began to make its appearance on his brow and his breathing became shallow. He had never really run this much before since he was always taken somewhere by car, but he didn't care if he had to run a million miles. He had to save them.

His mother approached his thoughts again and he wondered what would happen if this Task Force that Beckham talked about would really come. Would they kill her? There was no doubt about it; he knew that this team would do whatever they could in their power to stop Jenna and save Beckham.

More tears appeared as he thought about his mother being dead. How would he cope? Though the woman wasn't really Jenna anymore and would continue all this chaos in their lives if she lived, she was the woman who gave him life. Could he really just toss all that aside and not even mourn for her death? Two floors down.

It was getting closer and he could hear the sound of bullets from shooting areas. That meant there was Jenna's 'goons' around. He knew which way to go, though. They always kept to the halls and he kept to the shortcuts of the office cubicles and door leading to different rooms.

He remembered when Jenna first claimed the building as hers; he was seven and thought this was the biggest playground he could've imagined. Then, Jenna was still herself. Things changed deeply inside her when her research came into play and she began hiring Russians that worked for Anatoly before. Then she became this cold-hearted and corrupted Jenna.

Kyle couldn't help but wonder if this was what his father was like before he had died. Had he been broken beyond repair by Anatoly? Was this Melody person the only who tried to do the right thing and stand against it? Is that why Jenna hated her so? He knew she and Jenna had been friends before, but there was something else that led to this utter hatred towards each other. Two more floors down.

He was on the last floor as he thought about him and Beckham sharing a special connection. They were both the sons of quarreling comrades. Well, ex-comrades to be exact. He thought it strange that Jenna would do anything in her power to kill Melody while Kyle only wanted to protect and save the same woman's young son. He prayed that he would never become like both of his parents as he grew older and approached his teen years.

He stopped and took long, deep breaths when he finally made it to the fifth floor. As he bent over and placed his hands on his knees, he looked down the long hallway. He could see the white door at the end of the hall that led to Beckham and Anna. He then jogged towards it.

What made his heart and feet move faster was that the door was wide open. No, it couldn't be! He couldn't be late! He sprinted down the long and hallway and grabbed the door to slow himself down. Tears began to pour down his cheeks again as he called out their names and ran inside the room.

All he could hear was the echo of his own voice as he entered the empty room. The bed sheets were ruffled and things were knocked over. They must've put up a fight when they were taken. Kyle dropped to his knees with a thud.

"I was supposed to save them…. Now they're dead….And it's all my fault," He slowly whispered to himself as he grabbed a handful of the blanket and pressed it towards his chest.

As he softly mourned for their death, a thought popped into his head that made him slightly grin. What if he wasn't too late? Maybe he could still save them! He threw the blanket aside and pulled himself up the ground.

"Stay where you are, guys, I'm coming!" He called down the hallway in victory that his friends may still be alive and he could save them as he shot down the hall again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey, sorry for the wait. I've been real lazy and had the hardest time trying to piece this together. Every time I wrote down something it didn't feel right so I went through many roughdrafts with this chapter. I don't mean to brag but, I think I did pretty good with this one. Sure did go through a lot of thinking, that's for sure. Anyway**

**Chapter Questions: Will Kyle be able to save Anna and Beckham? And what happened to them? Is Beckham alive? What will Jenna do? What will happen to Avery? What will happen when everyone comes down together for the big rescue?**

**Stay tuned and please review! :D**

**(Also, I'd love to here any ideas that you might have for this story. It'd be very much appreciated since I have trouble sometimes. So, please, let me know in a review. Thanks!)**


	41. Chapter 41: Rolling Out

**MinnowXhoney: Thanks for reading and I'm glad you like it so much. You have no idea how happy you made me when I read your review (along with everybody's) and made my day. I would've wrote you back, but I didn't know exactly how and haven't really been on Fanfiction until, obviously, now to do anything so sorry for not writing back. But, I hope you and everyone like this chapter and hoped it met your satisfaction:)**

**Now, enjoy the story! That's an order... Kidding, totally kidding. Your choice :D**

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><p>"I don't know anything about this. But there is a code where the location should be. Maybe if we crack it there could be some address or something," Diamond thought over it as she, MacTavish, Price, Dunn, Frost, Ghost, Ramirez, and Melody all stood around the table in the briefing room.<p>

"It'd take forever to crack that. We only have hours," Ramirez said in disagreement and crossed his arms across his chest.

"But there's gotta be some way that we can find him. We haven't gotten this far just to land nowhere," MacTavish said slightly angry at the negative results they were getting.

"We're getting nowhere and Jenna could be right underneath us for all we know. We have to find out fast," Melody said looking in MacTavish's eyes than glanced around at the rest of the group.

"You have a point, she could be anywhere. But do you know of any _particular_ place she might be hiding in? Like, any building she held onto?" Dunn asked looking over at Melody since she was the only who knew more about Jenna than the rest.

Melody looked at Dunn then down at the table underneath her palms. She stared down at the silver band on her finger as she tried to remember anything about the places Jenna would've had an attachment to. She knew there was the pool house, but there was no way she'd go there. Jenna never talked much about the places she had been too, just the people in her life. How could Melody possibly know where Jenna could be hiding?

A thought then came to her; well, more like a memory. She remembered being stuck in her cell after she had killed Ian. Jenna was talking with someone and hadn't known that she was awake since her face was turned away from her. Jenna was speaking with one of Anatoly's men on where she should keep Anna at as punishment for Melody's crimes.

"_Скажите у меня отличное место, чтобы держать ее Анатолий, (Tell Anatoly I have the perfect place to keep her)," Jenna said over the phone as she glared at the back of Melody's head._

"_Как мы знаем, что вам не обмануть нас, Янки (How do we know you won't betray us, Yankee?)" The Russian replied in a rough voice as though he had been under water for hours._

_Jenna glared coldly even though the man couldn't see her, (Думаю, его таким образом, я хотел бы сделать все, чтобы вернуть мой муж, но я знаю, что он может никогда не вернется. И...Я хочу отомстить за убийство независимо от того, что стоимость. Мелодия не даже мелодии больше. Она является просто оболочкой. Сука не знает даже ее реальное прошлое. Кто бы вы доверяете для обработки простая девушка, которая не может даже помочь себе? (Think of it this way, I would do anything to take back my husband, but I know that he can never come back. And…I'm willing to avenge his murder no matter what the cost. Melody isn't even Melody anymore. She's just a shell. Bitch doesn't even know her real past. Who would you trust to handle a simple girl who couldn't even help herself?)" Jenna said standing up and pacing in the cell._

_There was a pause on the other end as Jenna began speaking again with a smirk, "Вот именно. Я буду принимать её старый больницу, где родились сын мой и мой муж. Анатолий уже охватило и мы будем там в течение нескольких дней. Он сказал мне, чтобы предупредить его, когда я сделал моей и немедленно. Вы не можете быть дорогой и сказать ему? (Exactly. I'll be taking her to the old hospital where both my son and my husband were born. Anatoly has already overtaken and we'll be there in a matter of days. He told me to alert him when I made my and immediately. Can't you be a dear and tell him?) She asked with a smug grin and hung up the phone._

"There was an old hospital where both her husband and her son, Kyle, were born in. It must've shut down not too long ago. I barely remember, but I remember what it was called and where it was located," She paused for a moment thinking over the conversation then remembered, "Mercy North Hospital in Washington, I think it was located about forty miles out of the town I grew up in," She said looking up at them with a light grin.

"Well, it looks like we have some traveling to do," Price said clapping a hand against MacTavish's shoulder encouragingly and sympathetically as he and some of the group walked off to start the journey out to Washington.

Melody's heart dropped to her stomach when she thought about leaving Gracie, Christopher, and Jamie again. She had already promised Christopher she wouldn't leave again and she hadn't even seen Jamie yet. She knew it'd be harder for Gracie to understand why her Momma and Daddy were both leaving. She felt so bad for what all three of them must be going through, especially Christopher. She remembered the dream he had about Beckham disappearing.

"_I dreamt that Bubba and I were playing in the front yard. But when I looked over to him he was gone. I looked everywhere and spotted him with a tall figure. I did nothing, I just stood there scared. When I went to tell you and Daddy you got so mad that you left me; took Jamie and Gracie and left me at the house because the wrong twin had disappeared. It was my fault Bubba was missing in the dream and I did nothing to help him. And you and Daddy hated me"_

Melody sighed remembering how terrified and heart-broken he was when he had that dream. She wondered what circled around his young mind now. Before, all he could talk about were planes and being a pilot, but now he was quiet and kept to himself. She prayed that Beckham's presence would restore that. She remembered when Beckham would sit at the desk and press his fingers on all the keys even though the computer wasn't on. She remembered how he would say he was Uncle Simon since MacTavish told him that Simon specialized in the technology area; he would tell him how they found Granpa Price in the Gulag thanks to Simon and overriding the prison's security system.

Melody was on the brink of tears when she felt someone's hand press against hers. She looked up to see MacTavish share the same thoughtful, sorrowful expression. She wondered if the same memories and thoughts went through his mind as they had hers.

"We'll find him, Melody. I don't care what it takes we're going to get him back," He said looking into her eyes and pulling her close to him.

Melody felt a tear roll down her cheek as he held her. She was glad she had him there with her; she wouldn't know what she would do if he was gone also.

* * *

><p>The next day Melody had been in the living room with Christopher and Jamie since she had come home last night. She listened to their constant bickering with joy. Maybe things were getting to normal; all they had to do was get Beckham back and it'd be like nothing changed. She prayed it would stay that way.<p>

Both MacTavish and Diamond were outside as the three waited for Krista to come by since she said she would take the kids over to Melanie's and also wish them luck. Melody was still trying to make herself tell them that they were all leaving. She was definitely skeptical about Christopher's reaction to the news. She prayed that he wouldn't immediately think they were leaving because of his dream.

When Christopher had enough of his sister's retorts and remarks, he angrily went outside where he waited for Krista with both MacTavish and Diamond. Melody couldn't help but grin when she thought about Chris being like her and walking away when proven wrong. That left her with Jamie since Gracie had fallen asleep in MacTavish's arms outside since it was still kind of early in the morning.

"Jamie, sweetie, c'mon here," She said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and stretching out her hand for the six year old in front of her and gave her a forced smile.

Jamie furrowed her brows but obeyed her mother as Melody placed her hands on both sides on Jamie's torso and looked in her eyes.

Melody was speechless and found it hard to find words as she looked at her eldest daughter and child's eyes; the same chocolate brown eyes.

"Jamie; Daddy, Diamond, and I are going away for a couple of days. I can't tell you where and what because I don't want to worry, okay? I want you to keep an eye on your brother and sister, alright? Make sure they behave and don't tell them because Gracie won't understand-"Melody began stroking Jamie's long inky black hair.

"I don't understand," Jamie mumbled and avoided eye contact with her mother.

Melody narrowed her eyes at her but let it go, "You know, you're too much like your father. But, do you hear me? Basically, you have to be me for a few days," Melody said looking in her eyes and letting her grin fade away to show she was serious.

Jamie balled a fist in her long blue skirt. She was scared about the seriousness in her mother's tone as she thought about why they could be leaving. She knew it was because of Beckham. She didn't know what was going on or what was going to happen to him, but she knew it was bad. Melody hadn't said anything of him or made any promises to be back soon with him. Jamie felt like crying.

"Okay, Momma. I understand," Jamie said staring at the elder woman in front of her, lip slightly quivering.

Melody could see that she was trying to be strong for her and she felt like breaking down herself. Melody quickly grabbed her shoulders and hugged the girl close to her chest and stroked her hair. As they said their short good-byes and 'I love you's, Melody heard Krista's radio fade into a slight hum as she stepped out the car.

Melody then took the backpack by her side and took Jamie's hand as they both came outside. The neighborhood seemed like it always was, but there was also something different. She knew why it was and sighed. She looked up to see her sister step out of the car with the same expression as everyone; hesitant and nervous.

"Hey, sis," Krista said wrapping the elastic band that held her keys around her wrist as she stepped towards Melody and immediately hugged her.

"Hey," Melody said softly as she embraced her younger sister. Her petite frame made it easy to look over at MacTavish and Diamond who awaited their departure by the Jeep. Melody sighed and squeezed her sister what felt like the last time, she didn't know why she felt like that though.

"Thanks for taking the kids over to Mom's. It really does mean a lot to me knowing they're in good hands," Melody said slightly looking down into Krista's light blue eyes.

Krista gave her an encouraging grin, "No problem, Mel," She paused looking down at her feet nervously then looked back up, "If it's alright that I ask, what are you guys going to do? On the mission, I mean," Krista asked looking at her and glancing over at MacTavish and Diamond.

"Well, first off, they're two places were we know that Jenna would plant roots in; an old office building in Michigan and the old hospital in Washington. We're splitting up 'cause there's no way we could all check the buildings at once," Melody began glancing at the two to make sure her words were right.

"Melody, Price, Becca, Dunn, and I are taking the office building in Michigan and Diamond, Ghost, Frost, Ramirez and Simon's brother-in-law, Blake volunteered to help search the building," MacTavish finished Melody's explanation looking at Krista as she nodded taking it in slowly.

It was quiet between the group as Krista held in an important question that ate at her since the first second she heard of Beckham's taking.

"Beckham; will he… you know?" She asked hesitant to ask as she stared at her sister.

Melody felt her throat tighten at the question. She wanted to calm both her sister's mind and her own, but it seemed impossible as the question dwelled in her mind. She knew she wouldn't have a calm mind until she could see him again; fighting with his sister and playing with his twin in the front yard.

MacTavish caught on to the two and stepped towards them both slightly as he wrapped an arm around Melody's waist.

"We're… going to do everything in our power to stop that," He reassured them both as he glanced down at Melody and gave Krista a forced grin.

Christopher and Jamie were playing near the tree in the backyard as the three talked. Krista couldn't help but chuckle when she heard Christopher's loud taunting; calling Jamie a chicken because she wouldn't try and climb the tree.

"I'll go and get them," MacTavish said looking back at them and handing Gracie to Diamond.

Diamond nervously held the sleeping toddler in her arms as she looked back to watch Christopher jump from the low branch and land near Jamie, causing her to squeal then growled at the boy annoyed. She couldn't help but chuckle.

'141 had some interesting kids,' She thought as she remembered both MacTavish and Dunn's kids and how they were always managing to get themselves hurt or yelled at in some way.

As Melody got the car seats, MacTavish said his quick good-byes to the two as Jamie clutched to his leg and Christopher tried to force himself from clutching to him and hugged his neck.

The annual rule-setting took place as both the kids and the three's separation grew closer than wanted. Melody didn't bother to wake Gracie since she knew she'd throw a fit that she was awaken and that she couldn't be with Daddy when they both left.

Melody kissed both Jamie and Christopher's cheek one last time and carefully placed Gracie in her car seat, careful not to wake her. Melody felt heart-broken that she had to leave them once time, but she hoped that the next time she saw him again was with Beckham in her arms and smiling.

As Krista drove off with the rambunctious children, Melody looked over to see Diamond on the phone and MacTavish routing out places on the map against the Jeep hood. She sighed and stepped away from the sidewalk as she walked over to the two.

"So, what do we have planned?" Melody asked stepping in between MacTavish and Diamond and looking at the lines and x's that MacTavish had written on the map and glanced over at Diamond who hung up the phone and placed it in her back pocket.

"Well, I was talking with Price and he said that Simon and Blake already have the ride and are waiting for me. Frost and Ramirez are already heading out there; bastards think they can get their first then they're wrong," She said with a grin and stepped towards her parked car.

"We both know you just wanna get there so you can see Frost again, Singh," MacTavish joked as he watched her walk away from them both.

"Fuck you," She said in a sweet, mocking tone.

"Thank you!" MacTavish called back jokingly.

MacTavish chuckled as he saw Diamond give him the middle finger as she climbed into the car. Melody smiled and looked over at MacTavish and slightly slapped him in the arm.

"You two are terrible!" She said in a soft voice and smiled.

He grinned at her, "Think of it this way; it's how we let each other know we even give a shit," He said turning towards her and slightly narrowed his eyes as the morning sun took its place and shone down on them, creating Melody's chestnut hair to turn auburn against the drowsy rays.

Melody rolled her eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder and arm as she looked down at the map then up at him, "You ready to get out there?" She said letting her smile fade into a light grin.

He let out a deep breath and tucked away the map into his pocket. He placed a hand on Melody's cheek as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "I've been ready since graduation," He said looking into her eyes.

Melody grinned slightly and kissed his cheek once before walking over to the passenger side happily at the thought of finally getting out there and getting Beckham, "I call shotgun," She said jokingly and crawled into the seat.

MacTavish rolled his eyes and looked back at the grey-brick house once more before climbing into the car.

'Don't worry, Beck. We're coming to get you,' He thought as he placed the key in the ignition.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter written and posted. I have no excuse either; I've been lazy and drawing Pon & Zi drawings for the longest time. So, yeah, I've been pulling up my document and teasing you people without even knowing by writing nothing! So, sorry about that :)**

**Chapter Questions: What will happen when the Task Force (plus a few members) as they roll out to find Beckham and take out Jenna? Will they succeed or fail? Has Kyle made it to his mother, Beckham, or Anna yet? Will he make it time? Will anyone make it in time? What do you think will happen?**

**You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out 'cause I'm not saying squat! Haha, thanks for reading and please review!**


	42. Chapter 42: Into the Nothing

Kyle continued down the long hallway with a confident heart and swift movements. He knew they possibly couldn't have gotten very far and he knew he was fast. Well, fast enough. Besides, he was the son of a deceased ex-Marine, right? He should have something handed down to him from his father. Though he had been corrupted before his death, there must've been something useful passed down that made Anatoly even want him in the first place, right?

His jet black hair that had been cut short was now shaggy and slightly hung in his eyes or over his ears as he flew down each hall. Before, his foster parent had always made sure that he had the best clothes, the best school, and even a perfect haircut constantly and he never liked it. He was a little happy about being with Jenna and the rest; no one cared what he looked like. He liked it better when he could just leave it alone and not worry about it.

He chuckled at his thoughts as he thought about his current situation. Why was he thinking about his appearance when both Anna and Beckham's lives were at risk? He was sure now that he had gone mad from all the stress he was going through. His thoughts were then led quickly back to the two as he passed one room where he remembered Anna first being in. He remembered that Jenna made him sit and watch the woman being interrogated and actually tortured. He shivered at the memory and quickly passed the horrid room.

Kyle tried to shove every memory each room he passed held since each involved some kind of interrogation or torture. He would never forget the sight of seeing James' dead body when he was brought back. He was honestly surprised when he saw the look of shock and sadness on Jenna's face when she examined the body. Had she really had any kind of feelings for the man? They were partners for almost seven years, but Kyle never thought that Jenna thought more about him than being some mindless killer.

He had stolen the files about his so-called murder. He knew it was bound to be disturbing, but he wanted to know. He couldn't help but smile when security cameras, well Jenna's cameras, caught two women entering the old building. He remembered the face of Melody MacTavish and her friend, Davika Singh, but commonly known by her codename which would be Diamond. They were looking for Beckham. At least the boy he cared for had someone who was willing to go out of the comfort zone for him.

The woman, Diamond, had killed James when he tried to, assumingly, kill Melody himself but had managed to barely nip her hand and took her finger. Kyle still tried to hide his delighted chuckle as he thought about the events that went down on the file. He was just glad that nobody had taken down the two and that they left before some of Jenna's 'clean up' crew arrived. Somebody had to find out about Jenna and her plans.

His thoughts were interrupted and placed on an immediate halt when he bumped into something hard as he turned the last corner. With a grunt, he fell backward and placed his hands back on the ground to get a good look at what he ran into.

With wide eyes, he gasped and tried to crawl away as he saw Daniil, one of Anatoly's former guards and now Jenna's, turn and look down at him. He and Daniil were never very good friends in the past. More like were never good rivals in the past. Daniil was a large man; some of it muscle, and never cared much for children. Kyle didn't care much for Daniil either. He was always trying to find some kind of excuse to get Kyle out of his way or locked up somewhere.

'Of course! Out of all the people in here, I get the man who snacks on children while they dream!' Kyle angrily thought as he scrambled to his feet and tried to run forward.

Приходите сюда, вы мало крысы! (Come here you little rat)" Daniil said with a mocking smirk as he reached out and grabbed a handful of Kyle's navy blue jacket.

Kyle gasped and squirmed to get out of the man's large palm. He then looked down and saw that the jacket was still zipped. He quickly pulled it down and pushed himself from the jacket as Daniil grabbed his arm lightly.

He quickly pushed himself away from him as the sleeves of his white T-shirt pulled away from his arms when Daniil quickly caught up with him and pulled the fabric at his back. Letting out a yell, he looked up as Daniil grabbed the boy's collar with one hand and his right arm with the other; making sure he couldn't leave.

"Let go of me!" Kyle screamed and punched his chest.

"Not likely," Daniil said as he gripped his collarbone harshly and started pushing him forward.

Kyle grunted against the pain in his collar as Daniil gripped him tightly. He scolded himself in his mind for getting caught and letting his thoughts distract him. If he had been paying attention he swore he would've seen Daniil standing before him. He then wondered why Daniil had been randomly standing guard. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you doing? You hurt me; my Mom's gonna kick your ass!" He said through gritted teeth. He was surprised that the word had come out of his mouth, but he just couldn't help it. He was tired of being thrown and tossed about because he was a kid.

Daniil just chuckled at him with a mocking tone. That's when Kyle began to get nervous. Something wasn't right around here. Normally, Daniil wouldn't comment back or do something to shut him up, but he just let it slide. What did he know and what was going on around here? First, Anna and Beckham are gone, guards like Daniil are standing around, and now he wasn't saying anything and tried even harder to grab Kyle.

His heart raced in his chest as he heard the ringing of gun shots from the firing range. He was never sent down here and wasn't allowed to go down. Something bad was going to happen. Did Jenna want something bad to happen to him? He felt his heart break in a million pieces at the thought of his mother ordering Daniil or some other guard to hunt him down and take him down to the range. He knew that those who went to the firing range never came back up.

Tears streamed down his face and he squirmed against Daniil's hand, denial welling up in him.

"No, no!" He screamed through sobs and pushed Daniil away from him as much as he could and tried to take off.

Kyle ran a few feet before stumbling and falling as tears blurred his vision. He just couldn't believe that his mother was completely gone now. He thought maybe, just maybe, that she would stray away from this and try to get him out of it, but now he was sure that he couldn't trust her. It made his heart crumble more that he couldn't even trust his own mother anymore.

Daniil took Kyle by the collar again and nearly drug him down the steps to the firing range. The sound of bullets flying into cardboard cutouts filled his ears as they passed a long aisle of Russian and some American men practicing and training their gunfire. Kyle wondered why Jenna made them train for this kind of stuff; he knew that they would never become some army. Well, he prayed that they wouldn't at least.

Daniil then turned and lead Kyle towards a separate room. He was confused; he never knew that there was more to this room than the firing ranges. What was Daniil leading him to? He felt like he was in some kind of horror movie and he was the killer's newest victim. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. He was still too puzzled to understand even what was left and right.

Daniil pushed him into one room and turned to stand guard outside the door as he closed it behind him. Kyle couldn't see anything except the dim light against a small frame. His eyes widened when he figured out who it exactly was.

"Anna!" He called out and began to run over towards her.

He examined her frail body and noticed that cords were hooked in at the bend of the elbow. She was paler than usual and her fingers were cold as he placed his hand atop hers.

He was scared that he was too late to save her as he looked up at the IV bag beside her. It was clear except for the dim green that floated amongst it. He wrinkled his nose at the substance and wondered what they could possibly be injecting in her. Her breathing was hoarse and shallow as a deep, choking sound appeared from the back of her throat.

He then looked around the small room they were both in. Was Beckham there? If he was, what happened to him? It was so dark in the room; he couldn't see anything. He was terrified at the sight of Anna and not knowing anything of what was going on scared him badly. What was Jenna planning exactly? What was this liquid that they were injecting her with?

He looked around as he heard the door slam behind him. His heart raced and he stood in front of Anna as he saw his mother enter the room.

"What are you doing to her?" He immediately yelled as he placed his arms on both edges of the metal cot she laid on protectively and glared at Jenna.

"Kyle, step back, now," Jenna said gripping something in her hand tighter as she kept it close to her side.

"No! Where's Beckham? What are you doing to Anna?" He yelled again and this took a step towards her with a glare.

Jenna stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes for a moment, "If I tell you will you back off?" Jenna asked with a hint of aggravation and pain.

Kyle knew he'd never back away from Anna until Jenna was far away, but he wanted his answer. He lifted his chin slightly and took a step away from her, "Tell me," He said.

"Beckham's gone and Anna's my first test to my new experiment," She said quickly and gave him a stern look, "Now move," She said in a serious tone.

Kyle's heart raced against his chest as he quickly jumped back towards Anna, "No! Not if you're doing that!" Kyle said gripping the edges of the table.

Jenna growled as her heart reached a higher pace. She took the object in her hand and raised it to her cheek and towards Kyle.

Kyle gasped seeing the gun in his mother's hand and was even more shocked when it was pointed towards him. His breathing became shallow, but he knew he had to stand his ground. He swallowed and gripped the edge of the table as Jenna continued to aim the gun towards him.

"Kyle…Please, you have to move now!" Jenna said slightly louder this time as she continued to aim towards him, hovering her finger over the trigger.

Kyle continued to stand still in front of the table as Jenna took a step towards him. He wasn't sure if she was insane enough to pull the trigger but he wasn't going to move. He was terrified to take this stand but he prayed that he was willing enough to at least try and stand against her ways.

Jenna let out a breath and bit her lip. She never wanted to get to this, but she figured that since Kyle wasn't going to follow her decision and constantly try to foil things that she had to put him out. She loved him, but her mind kept saying that she had to get rid of him and that he would tell someone if she just let him go free.

As her heart raced and her breaths halted in her throat she immediately pressed her finger against the trigger and watched as Kyle screamed and squatted down in terror as the bullet flew towards him. Jenna's eyes closed as she heard her shallow breath and the sound of a choked gasp.

She slowly opened her eyes to see Kyle still sitting in front of the table that Anna still laid on calmly and peacefully as if there hadn't been some crazy showdown between the boy and his mother. Her heart drummed against her rib cage and the mother-side of her thoughts and being screamed at her to run and wrap her arms around the boy and hold him tight.

But, the other side of her that only wanted revenge and justice for her husband's death, told him to leave him be and that he was finally silenced as they had wanted in the first place. Tears began to unknowingly roll down her cheeks as a light beeping echoed the room from her left hip. She knew what it must've been and the leader side of her immediately took place and switched the comm in her ear on.

"Гавриил, что происходит (Gavriil, what's going on?)" Jenna asked turning away from the boy and towards the door in front of her.

"Даниил обнаружил неизвестное автомобиль, следовавший в направлении периметра; Это их, (Daniil spotted an unknown vehicle coming towards the perimeter; it's them,)" Gavriil said in a stern but low voice.

Jenna took in a deep breath then placed her index finger against her ear to reply, "Понял, убиваете их всех. Они полностью обученных и оперативной. Сделать все от вас зависящее, чтобы держать их вне здания (Understood, kill them all. They're fully trained and operational. Do everything in your power to keep them out of the building,)" She said before turning towards Kyle and the unconscious Anna.

She felt her heart and stomach drop to her feet as she looked at Kyle. He gripped to his shoulder with a muted moan as blood trickled down his shoulder and stained his white T-shirt. Jenna couldn't believe that she actually shot her own son. Tears began to appear again as she saw his eyes blur as he stared up at her with a shocked and terrified expression.

A memory flashed through her mind of herself when she was younger. Her thoughts about the present were interrupted by the past. The vision of her huddling in a corner in terror from her father stuck in her mind while she slowly walked towards him.

Kyle's heart raced when he saw her come closer to her. He squirmed to stand himself up on the edge of the table. He had no idea what she was going to do now and what she had said to the man over the comm but he knew something awful was going to happen on this day. Beckham was gone and he had no idea where he was and Anna looked like she was going to fade away in a second.

Jenna tried to push away the motherly urges that screamed and clawed towards him as she grabbed his other shoulder and placed the barrel of the gun underneath his chin. Her heart pounded in her chest at the actions she was using, but she continued to stand there for a moment and then moved him.

"Stay quiet and keep down. One move or sound or you get another bullet," She threatened through gritted teeth as she walked over and threw him into one corner.

Kyle moaned in pain as he shoulder slammed against the concrete wall in the corner as he watched Jenna walk over to Anna on the table. He closed his eyes in frustration at himself for not saving them both and now he had no idea what he was going to do with Jenna slinging a gun around and threatening to shoot him again and Beckham gone. Blood rain down his arm and tears down his cheek as he sat in his own defeat and scolded himself.

* * *

><p>The only sound that echoed around the room and banged around his skull was the sound of heavy combat boots hitting the floor underneath him and Russian chatter. He couldn't understand anything that was going on. He could tell he was being held by someone since he couldn't feel any solid object under his skin except the large man's chest against his side. He couldn't help but wonder if he was made of iron or something.<p>

Anna; what had happened to Anna? He barely remembered anything. He could only feel the dull pain in his chest and his heavy eyelids completely closing him out of the world that was stretched out before him. The real question was if he wanted to see it. He wondered if his mother and father ever went through this dizzy confusion and ever felt as if something was eating at him slowly.

His concentration was lost once again as he heard the man's voice that carried him above him. He wished he had known Russian like his parents had for he wanted to know what he was saying to the woman before him.

The woman turned to him and slightly rolled her eyes, "Just take him somewhere, okay? And I'm not in the mood to talk this Russian bullshit with you right now. I know you can speak English; use your brain!" She said aggravated and placed her fingers on her temple.

Take who somewhere? Beckham's heart began to race as the man carrying him muttered something under his breath in Russian and began to walk the opposite direction he knew the woman was walking. He knew this wasn't any good at all.

But what was he to do? He wasn't like his parents or the aunts and uncles he had from the Task Force, he wouldn't even know what would happen if made his half-consciousness known. The Russian would probably use or do something that would send him under in a matter of seconds. He felt like sighing but he knew not to.

As he felt the swaying motion of the Russians uneven, swift steps, Anna came to his mind. They were apparently taking them to different buildings or rooms or something; what were they going to do her? To him? He was scared at the possibilities of torture or experimentation filled his mind. He thought that there wouldn't anything completely new from what they were doing previously.

He remembered when they'd interrogate the two; Jenna had always wanted information on Melody and MacTavish. He knew that they'd stop hurting them both and maybe even let them go if he told them where and what the Task Force was located and doing, but he knew that would mean she would hunt them down and hurt them. A tug pulled at his heart when he thought that they would even kill them all. He knew he couldn't tell them.

He remembered hearing Anna scream at him and one of the guards when he wouldn't answer; she always told him to just give them what they want. She didn't want anything bad to happen to him while she was, somewhat, under her care. He remembered the pain he felt when the branded metal would touch his kneecap. He wanted to shiver at the sheer memory but he couldn't find any strength to open an eye all the way.

His mind and thoughts changed when he knew the atmosphere had obviously changed. Wind blew against his hair and the sound of birds flying and singing a sweet melody was strong in the air. He wanted to smile for he had felt or heard the wonderful breeze and chirping of birds…. Something then clicked in his mind.

He was outside; what was he doing outside? Where was this man taking him? The woman, Jenna, had told him to take him somewhere. He knew for sure that he hadn't told her anything of his parents or those in the Task Force so what was going on? He knew that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

The wonderful rays of sunshine kissed his fair, pale cheeks as they moved away from the low tree branches. His heart leaped with joy and sorrow. He was joyful for the heat instead of the cold and damp feeling he had before when he was still back inside and sorrowful for he couldn't understand why he felt as though this was going to be his last ray of sunshine. He knew something was definitely wrong on his account since Jenna was trying to separate him and Anna.

Upon his small discovery, he wondered what they were going to do with Anna, once again. He also wondered if the two were ever going to see each other again or would this be their last day? And if so, which one?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry if it's a crappy; if it is, then I guess I shouldn't watch any more Improv shows while writing :/**

**Chapter Questions: Will Jenna actually kill Kyle? Will Kyle get help for his injury? Where is Beckham going? What's going to happen to Anna? Will she survive? Will the Task Force make it in time for both Anna an Beckham? Will Beckham survive?**

**All to be answered next time! Thanks for reading and please review if you have anything to say or any ideas that you'd like to share! :D**

**(P.S. Seems really weird for me to out right and say it but, if you want to know more about the story/characters of this Fanfiction, then you can come on over to either Facebook or Twitter. You don't have to. I already fill bad for saying this. Don't know why, I hate advertising. I'm going to leave... Bye) *If you want to; links on my profile***


	43. 43: Kyle's Falling Inside The Black

"Blake, Ghost; you go with Diamond and check the three bottom floors. Ramirez and I will take the last top," Frost said as they all regrouped around the back of the hospital.

Diamond glanced at Ghost beside her and back at Blake who sat on the seat with the car door open, locking his gun with a ready look on his face. She could tell that this was unusual for him.

He had only fought alongside Ghost once when Avery was taken. Avery's theories and accusations also flooded his mind. He knew his sister was dead and gone, but what if his young niece was right? Nobody was home except for Anna and Avery. Could she have been taken out of vengeance for something that the Task Force or that Simon had done? It just didn't make any sense.

"Alright, make sure you guys check through the offices, too, Frost," Diamond said crossing her arms at her chest and nodded her chin towards the upper floors of the old building.

Frost grinned; he always found it amusing when she took charge that way. He remembered how it was an immediate thing since the moment she joined Delta. But, she had also changed since then. Since Delta's death so long ago. He sighed knowing that it had changed them both. He looked around as Ghost clapped a hand on his brother's back as they began to take position around the back and Ramirez popped his neck as he waited for Frost near the front.

Diamond took her USP. 45 and placed it firmly in the holster as she looked around to make sure no one could see them. As she turned to join Simon and Blake, Frost quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist that was covered with the black glove.

Diamond furrowed her brows in shock then confusion as she turned towards him, "What's the matter, Frost? You better not have any fucking second thoughts about this," She threatened placing her fists on her hips and gave him a stern look.

Frost just let out a breath and slightly shook his head at her, "Just…Be careful, 'kay? Delta would be proud that you held on like this," He paused taking a second to look into her black-brown eyes with his ice blue, slightly lost in the darkness of them, "...I'm proud of you," He slightly muttered.

Diamond's heart slightly skipped a beat and her cheeks flushed at the thought, "…Don't get fucking soft of me, Frost," She said trying to pass it off as a joke though she knew she was dead serious. She didn't need these kinds of thoughts in her mind at the moment.

Frost nodded and squeezed her shoulder in hopes of apologizing for obviously giving her any unwanted memories or thoughts before grabbing his gun and slowly walking towards Ramirez and almost immediately picking up pace as he got out of the awkward moment between them both.

Diamond couldn't handle all that was happening at the moment. She couldn't figure out what was the past and what was the present; which was reality and which were the dreams that haunted her at night were. She quickly shoved them aside as she heard Simon calling her from the back.

"I…I'm coming," She said clearing her mind and jogging towards the two.

As Diamond approached the two, something threw their concentration off. A loud, angered cry came from one of the lower rooms that Diamond figured was about the second floor from the bottom.

"No time for chatting, boys. Come on! Kill any and every hostile that comes in your sight!" Diamond ordered sprinting towards them and grunted as she shot the locks and kicked the door down with her foot.

* * *

><p>Kyle jumped as the sound of rapid bullets and final cries came from outside the heavy, metal door. He could see that Jenna's face was flushed and pale white at the sound. He couldn't help but smile at the terror on her face.<p>

"See! They're coming for you, Jenna! You'll never win!" He said loud enough for her to hear, trying to hide the pain in his voice as the wound continued to release blood down his arm. He couldn't help but feel a little light-headed at the sight, but as the fear and anger splashed onto Jenna's face he knew it was worthwhile.

Jenna knew he was right, but she couldn't let that stop her. Anna was almost completely injected with the Nova 6 and now she had to see what would happen. Beckham was being taken to the other Safehouse to begin his experimentation under Daniil's watch. Her plans were falling perfectly into place, but why was she so terrified of what was to come? Was it the other side of her that she tried to keep tucked away; the younger side of herself that she described as killed the same time Ian was? Was it screaming, begging her to stop what she was doing and help Kyle?

She couldn't understand it and she could hear voices talking to her… Some screaming. It was like something was repeatedly crashing symbols against her head as the voices became more intense. She couldn't understand what was happening. The voices were getting louder and what even seemed like closer. She kept the gun in her grip as she brought up her hands to her head; clutching the sides of her skull.

'_Cover my eyes; cover my ears. Tell me these words are a lie; it can't be true. That I'm losing you. The sun cannot fall from the sky. Can you hear Heaven cry- the tears of an angel?' _She could hear the lyrics of the song she and Megan would listen to all the time. They always found it rather sad, but they thought it reminded them so much of their own lives.

Why was she hearing this? Memories of her sister flashed through her mind of her sister, from her childhood years to the last time she ever saw her. Always smiling though the situation was terrible. The sister she considered her mother.

'_Life can be complicated sometimes, Jen. There's one thing I can promise you. But you should never let it stop you from doing what you think is important. For example; Dad was an abusive drunk and would have undoubtedly killed us had we stayed. But I knew that I had to get us both out of there. That might not have made sense, but I'm basically saying that you can't let fear stop you from doing the right thing… Mom made an illustration that fit that so perfectly,' Megan had said the day after she and Jenna had escaped from their father._

Tears were now pouring down her face as the images left as quick as they appeared and she was left with the harsh voices of her father constantly insulting her and telling her how she'd equal up to nothing in anyone's eyes.

"No," She whispered at first as the voices became more intense, "No!" She screamed as she tightened the grip on her skull and began to press her uneven nails into her skin; begging the voices to stop.

Kyle's grin slowly faded as he saw his mother before him. He wasn't sure whether to be terrified or worried. He had never seen her this way before and he wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She never had these kinds of moments before as long as he had been here. He knew it was undoubtedly because of the choices and things she had done, that's one of the common things, right?

But, though he knew she did deserve all this mental judgment, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Like he had thought before, she was his mother; the woman who gave him life. His heart raced as he placed his hand against the wall behind him and took in a deep breath. He knew he was going to undoubtedly regret this later; he couldn't resist that part of himself that screamed at him.

He slowly, but carefully pulled himself to his feet and looked at Jenna as she lowered the gun to her side once more; quieting her screaming. The room was tense around him and the air seemed foggy as he could just feel his throat tighten as he tried to make his presence known once again since Jenna seemed like she was in some far off universe.

"M…Mom? Are you…okay?" He asked hesitantly. His mouth was dry and his throat tight with fright at what could possibly happen next. His footsteps were hesitant as he shuffled his feet against the concrete ground beneath them, heart pounding in his skull from the pain in his shoulder that made itself known once again.

There was no answer from her still, pale form as she continued to stand there lifelessly as Kyle slowly approached her. He glanced over at Anna as he heard the beeping from her monitor start rising in a faster pace. He thought it was his own as he heard the horrible sound from the machine; was the green liquid that he saw taking affect?

He glanced at his mother and took note that she was far off from reality. He nodded to himself as he picked up his pace and began to jog towards Anna who lay still in the corner. He couldn't handle all that was happening at this moment. His mother having some kind of mental breakdown, Anna, probably, slowly dying while he had no idea what to do. The wound in his shoulder just made it all worse. He felt like he was falling into a deep, dark abyss; everything flashed by him as he slowly continued to fall and fall, not knowing what possibly waited for him once he touched the bottom.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a dark growl come from behind him. He turned to see Jenna come from behind him and grab his wounded shoulder.

"Aggh!" He cried from the pain of her long nails penetrating the fresh wound as more blood appeared and soaked his arm. He felt dizzy as he heard Jenna's voice in his ear.

"No! I've through too much to let a little brat stop all this! Now, I suggest you shut the hell up and don't move a damn muscle," She snarled in his ear, warm breath making his skin crawl.

Kyle grunted and moaned from the pain as she waited for her answer. His mind was too full of fear and pain to think of any words. What happened to this woman he used to call Mom? The woman he thought was water in the desert? His breath of fresh air to a normal life outside the foster home. Now, anywhere besides the Safehouse seemed like Heaven to him.

Jenna growled at his hesitance and dug her nails into his shoulder once again, smirking at the cry that escaped his lips, "Do you understand?" She said louder with a hint of satisfaction.

"Yes! Yes!" Kyle cried, tears pouring down his cheeks. His knees buckled under him from the pain and Jenna moved her hand from his shoulder in twisted her bloody fingers in his hair and pulled his head back, making him jump to a straighter position.

"Yes, what?" She asked adding venom to the last word.

"Yes, I…I understand!" He stuttered from the sobs that choked his voice.

Jenna just chuckled, "Good," She said taking the gun that was in her other hand and slowly raised it so he could get a clear view of the sleek, silver barrel.

Kyle didn't know what he was to do now. He felt liked he was being tortured; well, that was undoubtedly because he was. He knew that when she had her little breakdown, that took away every piece of evidence that his mother could still be the same person who knew as a child. He knew for sure now that she was gone forever. Maybe he was an orphan after all.

His thoughts were interrupted as the gunshots became clearer and louder. They had found the entrance to the firing range. Kyle knew that they would send out a member or part of their squad to check the entire room. Could that mean that Anna could be saved? And could he find help for his arm? The thoughts seemed nice until Jenna took notice of the noise.

She knew they would check this room and there was no way she could hide without being found or in time. Her heart raced with fear and anger. How had they been able to find her? She made sure to never even mention the safe houses in any files or documents she had. How could they possibly have a lead on her whereabouts? Jenna just growled and gripped the collar of Kyle's shirt.

"Remember; make one sound or move one muscle – I will put another bullet in you," She threatened in a soft voice through her teeth.

Kyle didn't understand what she was talking about or doing until he felt something circular and cold touch the bare skin under his chin in the corner of his neck. She was going to kill him! His heart raced and all that his mind could think to do was to run away, scream, find any possible way from this psychopath he used to call Mom. But, he knew he couldn't. If he did, he'd surely be dead before he could even regret it.

He just had to stay still and not say a word unless he was spoken to. Three sets of footsteps came near the door and made the whole room tense with anxiety and slight fear. His breathing became shallow as he heard muffled voices from the other side of the metal door. He could barely understand what they were saying but he knew they were fixing to check the room.

Jenna knew this also and started to slowly shuffle back to Anna; keeping her body close to her form in hopes of somehow hiding her from view and as a wall between them and Anna.

"Ghost! Get over here!" Kyle heard a female voice call to one of her team mates, right in front of the door.

Kyle's heart dropped to his stomach. He knew who Ghost was. Avery had told him about her father's military background; including his call sign. He then glanced over at Anna. A smile crept across his lips as his mother gripped him out of nervousness and tried to prepare himself for what was going to happen.

* * *

><p>Diamond pulled out her AK-47 from her back as she kicked the door open. Memories of being a part of both the Task Force and Delta flashed through her mind as she rushed in the building. She kept her gun close to her cheek as she spotted three hostiles waiting for them at the end of the hall.<p>

She gasped as they started firing immediately. She dove and threw herself against the nearest corner as she watched Simon and Blake come in and drew their weapons. She took a minute to collect herself then drew her gun to her cheek and quickly swerved out of the corner.

She let her mind go completely blank at that moment as she pulled the trigger and watched as one of the men immediately fell back; his last cry escaping his lips. A smirk crawled across her lips at the sound as Ghost and Blake took down the other two.

Diamond saw more of Jenna's men come down the hall. She knew they didn't have time to sit back and wait for the men to come to them. She looked back at them and waved forward.

"Keep pushing forward!" She called out to them as she began to slightly jog forward down the hallway.

Diamond noticed something that made her brows furrow. Jenna's men didn't seem to really put up that much of a fight. They were firing and doing everything they could to keep them from moving forward, but Diamond thought it was strange. Jenna would've known that they would come for Beckham. Why hasn't she created a stronger security.

Wouldn't she have sent dozens more to stop them? She would've made it impossible for them to even reach the back door. Was she so willing to let Beckham go unprotected like that?

Unless... Beckham wasn't even there. Of course, but what was she trying to hide from them? Diamond began to think about the other hostage she had taken and what she was planning on doing.

Diamond's eyes widened as she took down two of the guards outside one room. She must be testing it now! She glanced back at Ghost and Blake then made sure there wasn't any more of Jenna's guards.

"Ghost, Blake, Beckham's not here," She said quickly filling them in on her discovery.

"What? How do you know?" Ghost asked checking the corners to make sure no one was coming.

"If you had someone hostage as bait to kill an enemy, wouldn't you have better security? Why would she even let us through the back door?" She said arching a brow with a smug expression.

Ghost said nothing, but just nodded once. He knew she was right, "Then shouldn't we get out of here if you're so sure?" He asked as he took down another hostile.

"No. We have to make sure that he's here or not here. We can still try and get the other hostage," Diamond said quickly then took off down the hall to clear the rest of the rooms.

Ghost nodded and followed behind her as Blake finished off one more guard from the hall.

Each room seemed clear as she passed down the hall, clearing each room. It seemed like they all came from one room. But where was this room? Diamond knew that where they were coming from would definitely lead them to Jenna or the prisoner. Diamond bit her lip in concentration as tried to think of the place she would keep them.

She knew that she would most likely keep them away from an easy accessible room. She knew that it was going to be difficult to find them since she would probably keep her in some kind of hidden room. Like a panic room or basement.

Her thoughts were interrupted when gunfire zoomed across her ear. She looked up to see a handful of guards coming up from a set of stairs.

"Huh," Diamond said under her breath.

While the three took down the group of guards, Diamond immediately jogged down the hallway towards the stairs. She knew that that the stairs must lead to Jenna or the prisoner. She then began to wonder what she would do if Jenna was down there. She bit her lip as she heard Blake's voice behind her.

"Diamond, where are you going?" He asked seeing her take down the hall.

Diamond stopped with an aggravated growl and turned towards the two behind her, "All these guards have been coming from those stairs. They're obviously hiding something or someone down there. We need to check down there," She quickly explained waving towards the set of stairs.

"Diamond, I don't think that's the greatest idea," Ghost said glancing behind him and chasing down Diamond.

"Or you can be the best. Ghost, hike up your fucking skirt and get your ass down here," She said loud enough for him to here as she began to pick up her pace down the hall.

Ghost just glared at her and took off down the hall with Blake at his side. They exchanged a glance and Ghost knew what he must be thinking; Diamond was fucking crazy. But, they guessed that that was made her likable. Maybe.

Diamond made it to the foot of the stairs and looked down the whole. It was a long way down and the light seemed to fade away down into the room below. She cocked her to the side and took out her flashlight from her hip. The stairs were now more clear to her and she took a step back in shock when she saw the dried blood on the stairs. What had gone on down here? She glanced back at the two and made a single to follow her.

Diamond slowly walked down the bloody steps as she tried to look at the room she was walking into. Her hand was at the ready to grab her weapon if there was anymore guards down in the room. As she made it to the last step, she could see the room better. Her eyes took in every corner as she slowly walked into the room.

The floor beneath her was concrete and also covered in blood and bullets. To her right, she could see the stations for a firing range. They looked like they were recently used so they must've be preparing for them. Jenna was waiting for them; like a trap. Diamond's heart raced as she looked around and heard Ghost and Blake come behind her.

"So, what are you even looking for, Diamond?" Ghost said a little aggravated that she was even down here, but he did have to admit that she had a good lead. His own curiosity is what drug him down here besides her commands.

"We need to find a room out of the ordinary. Like a safe or something. If you were trying to keep hidden, where would you go?" Diamond said looking around, running her hand against a table that held a display of handguns and rifles.

Ghost began to search around the room as Blake began to look at the papers on the wall in one corner of the room. There were articles about Makarov's attacks and even Anatoly's. Jenna must've been keeping tabs. That or some kind of confidence booster.

Diamond noticed something far off. It looked like a door. She looked behind her to see Ghost looking at a time line made from thread and pictures. She began to walk forward when a loud noise from behind the door made her lose her thoughts.

Diamond looked over to see Blake and Ghost with their guns in their hands, she was glad she wasn't the only one who heard that. She was still at first to see if anything else was going to happen then took out her USP.45 from her holster and slowly approached the door.

"Ghost! Get over here!" She said as she walked towards the door, unsure if those inside could hear her.

"He went out to make sure there was no one looking for us. I got your back, Diamond," Blake quickly filled her in as he made his appearance beside her.

Diamond just nodded and stood at the side of the door and looked over at Blake, "Stay close to me and shoot anyone on site. If they're any hostages inside, hold you fire or I'll fucking shoot you myself," She said explaining to him her way of handling this situation.

Blake smirked at her words and brought his pistol close to his face, readying himself for whatever could be inside the room. Diamond noticed that the door was unlocked so she knew that whoever was in there was waiting for them. Diamond scoffed, she was ready for Jenna also. After hearing all she had plan; she wanted to a put a bullet in her blonde head. She knew that if she was in there then she would have her chance.

Diamond threw the door open with her elbow and immediately aimed her gun at the first person she saw. She gasped seeing the two in the room and slightly lowered her gun before bringing it back up again.

"Well, if it isn't Price's little lap dog," Jenna said mischievously with a mocking grin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, yeah, sorry for the long wait. I've been having what I call a writer's wall. Similar to a writer's block, but different. I can think of things to write, but it's like there's this wall that jumps and completely blocks me from really writing it down. But, obviously, I managed to climb around it so now you have a new chapter! Got a new laptop the other day also so it was taking the hardest and longest time to get wifi through my router so, yeah technology hates my family. :D But I got it working and hopefully, I can update faster now:)**

**Chapter Questions: What will happen when Jenna and Diamond face off? Will Blake or Ghost see Anna? Will Jenna kill Kyle or Diamond? What's going to happen to Anna?  
><strong>

**Stay tuned and please review. Thanks for reading! :D  
><strong>


	44. Chapter 44: Decisions, Decisions

"Price, do you have anything from your location?" MacTavish asked through his comm as he and Melody sat inside of the rooms of the old hospital. The security room. Melody was hoping to find a room that had either Beckham, the other prisoner, or even Jenna.

"Negative, Becca and I have been scouting the upper floors and we haven't seen a trance of anyone," Price said filling him in on his Intel that had been short.

MacTavish cursed under his breath and sighed, "Keep looking they have to be here somewhere," He said trying to keep his temper under control and cut the briefing before Price could even answer.

He turned towards Melody as she searched each room and each camera; biting her lip with worry and fear.

"Are you sure Jenna would even take anybody here?" He said rather harshly and loudly.

Melody slightly jumped at his voice, "Yes, there's nowhere else she could go. If she went to one of Makarov's or Anatoly's previous hideouts then we would've checked those first," She reminded looking up into his eyes. She sighed and turned back to the screens, "She's a bitch, but she's a crafty bitch," She said under her breath through gritted teeth.

MacTavish just ignored her statement. He couldn't stand just waiting around for some kind of hint or clue while his son was lying somewhere. He knew that it wouldn't be wise to just run around the hospital that had Jenna's men crawling around and hope for the best, but he had to do something than just sit around. Beckham was out there somewhere waiting to be saved. He didn't even care if Jenna got away again; he was getting Beckham back, safe and sound.

He played with the dog tags at his chest while Melody typed in words, codes, anything to find some kind of lead on his location. He wondered what Beckham was doing now; what was happening to him? Was he in pain? Was he cold, hurt, lonely, lost, terrified? Did he wonder where his Mommy and Daddy were and why they hadn't got him yet? Was he thinking that they would never come? Was he alive?

A strike of pain struck his heart at his last thought. He didn't want to think of that, but what if he was? Would he be strong enough to face it? He already knew that answer to that question. He nearly broke when Melody died, but his own blood? His young son? No, he would never be able to face it. It made tears appear just thinking about that.

He thought about the day that Beckham wanted to take the bird from the park home. The way it crushed his heart completely to see the bird sleep forever in the backseat. Beckham was soft and kind, he could never be able to cope with death. Both MacTavish and Melody thought that was a good thing, especially Melody. At Beckham's age, Melody and death had been close acquaintances. They didn't want Beckham to be used to death or anything close to it; they wanted to keep him from it and protect him away from it. MacTavish couldn't help but feel as though he failed the boy in protecting him. Maybe it was that parental part of him, and every father, that jumped to that conclusion at the disappearance of their child. Or maybe it was his heart that blamed him. Whatever it was, he knew he would never forgive himself for not keeping a closer eye on the two the night he was taken.

MacTavish looked up at Melody and wondered if the same thoughts crossed her mind. He knew it was most likely, but she had been so quiet since their small reunion. He knew it was better to just let her focus on her work and searching for Beckham, but he wished to know what she felt. He didn't want to be the only one feeling this pain. He knew how she could get if something horrible happened, but he didn't think he ever saw her like this. He then wondered if this is what she went through when she received news that she was pregnant, but lost the baby after her death and somewhat resurrection. Did she block herself from everyone except her own thoughts and ideas? He wanted to comfort her, for he knew she was in some kind of suffering over Beckham. He also knew she'd never accept his comfort at the time. Probably make some cold-hearted remark that she would apologize for later. He softly scoffed realizing again just how crazy his wife was.

When Melody jumped out of her chair, he knew something was wrong or good; depending on what she found.

"What is it?" He immediately stepping towards her as she continued to stare at the screen in front of her.

She was silent for a minute as they both watched a large man carry something or someone small in his arms. She couldn't tell who it was since the security camera was far away from the scene in the parking lot. What she thought was strange was that the man passed by every car that sat in the lots waiting to be driven. She knew there must be some specific vehicle he required if he was taking the small figure somewhere.

It then occurred to her that the small figure was a boy, her boy. She quickly turned to MacTavish as the security tape began to repeat itself. She then remembered the face of the large man that was carrying Beckham. She always hated him when he worked for Anatoly. He hated everyone and was usually in charge of interrogations and torture.

"You see this guy? His name is Daniil; he used to work for Anatoly before he obviously switched over to Jenna. That thing that's in his arms is Beckham! Jenna's trying to hide him and make sure we can't find him," Melody quickly explained, eyes wide with fear and realization.

MacTavish felt his heart quicken and drop to his stomach at the same time at her news. He looked over and grabbed his MP5K with one hand and loaded a magazine into it and looked at her.

"Well, then let's get this bastard," He said coldly with venom in his words.

Melody nodded and grabbed her gun also as MacTavish began to run out the door. She was glad that they had finally found Beckham, but the site of him still and limp in Daniil's arms is what made her nervous and upset. What had they done to him? He was so pale... A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of her boy dead. She couldn't let that happen.

She pressed her finger against her comm when a thought crossed her mind, "Price, we found information on Beckham. They're moving him. If you spot any moving vehicle do everything in you're power to stop it, but don't destroy it or do that much damage because Beckham will be in there. Do you copy?" Melody said quickly filling in Price on their situation.

"Copy, Melody. I'll let you know if we see anything," He replied in a stern voice; Melody could hear the gunfire in the background.

"Thank you, Price," She said softly for just him to hear. She hoped he heard more in the simple words. Thanking him for staying with her and helping her with Beckham. For not thinking her plan delusional or doubt her judgment like she knew some had. But, she couldn't blame them completely.

Price didn't say anything back but just cut their connection. Melody didn't let that go to heart, but just picked up her pace alongside MacTavish as they continued to run along the last floor, pushing towards the exit that lead to the parking lot.

MacTavish didn't bother to think of anyone or anything besides Beckham and how he would save him. He couldn't let the Russian, Daniil, take him away. He knew if they did; there would be no way they could get the chance again. He deeply believed Melody knew this too, but didn't bother to ask or say anything about the matter. They had to get Beckham now or they would never see him alive again.

MacTavish growled at the thought as burst through the exit door, looking everywhere for some kind of sign of that Daniil was around. His heart pounded in his ears as he impatiently turned around, making sure he looked everywhere.

He was coming up short and couldn't find any sign of Daniil. He scowled at the lots around him as rage filled his heart. Where was he? Why couldn't he find them? They left the security cameras five minutes ago!

"Where the fuck is he?" He said loudly.

Melody jumped at the ferocity in his voice and continued to look for some kind of bulky figure or blonde headed figure. Tears were beginning to well in her eyes when she couldn't see a trace of either Beckham or Daniil anywhere. No; this couldn't be happening. He had to be there somewhere! Anywhere! Maybe if they checked the cars to see if they weren't hiding somewhere. They had to do something; they couldn't let him escape with Beckham. They still didn't even know if he had been tested with Jenna's recreation of the biochemical weapon that was used long ago, Nova 6. Another shiver crawled down her spine at the terrifying images in her mind. She couldn't let that happen to Beckham. She knew she would never forgive herself if that happened.

Both she and MacTavish were beginning to lose hope in finding him. Melody watched as MacTavish looked angrier and angrier every second that they couldn't see them when she heard Price contacting her through their comms.

"Melody; Becca and Dunn saw a green SUV leaving your location. It should be coming towards you directly if they follow the route that they were intended to take," He explained the information he found in a breathless tone.

Melody's heart skipped a beat and she didn't even bother to say anything back to Price this time as she looked at MacTavish.

"John, Price said there was a green vehicle coming around. It has to be Beckham," She said trying to resist the smile that crawled across her mouth.

MacTavish felt his thoughts slightly fade away, but there was still the purpose of stopping the vehicle. He nodded at her and began to look around to see if there was anything lying around that he could use to stop the vehicle. He bit the corner of his lip in concentration as he began to devise a plan in his mind. If he could make it to the driver or passenger side of the car then he could take out the driver. But he'd have to be quick to get Beckham out of it before it crashed.

He put his plan on hold for a moment when he saw the glossy vehicle sitting far back between two old-model cars. He chuckled under his breath and began to run down the aisle of cars to reach it. Melody followed behind him with curiosity plastered against her face.

She watched as MacTavish walked towards a black and white motor bike. Her eyes widened in shock as he sat on the seat and tried to hot wire the vehicle.

"That thing? No! I mean, do you even know how to drive that damn thing?" Melody said in fear as the memory of Gracie crashing the four-wheeler came to mind.

MacTavish grinned as the loud growl of the engine interrupted his wife's cautious refusal of him driving the motor bike. He looked up at her and placed one hand against the handle bar.

"No, but it can't be that much different than a snowmobile, right?" He said giving her a cocky grin and placed his foot against the pedal.

"You're going to die," Melody said simply, not knowing whether to fear or worry.

He arched an eyebrow at her and prepared himself to take off when he saw the appearance of the awaited green SUV.

"Thanks for having confidence in me, honey," He snarled sarcastically as he speed away towards the vehicle.

* * *

><p>Diamond ignored Jenna's mocking as she looked down at the boy she gripped in her arm. She noticed that blood appeared to run down his arm as the stain in his shirt was a dark red. She also took notice in the gun pointed underneath the boy's chin.<p>

"Jenna, let the boy go," She said in her best cool voice, but continued to aim at her.

Jenna smirked and clutched him tighter, "That reminds me; have you met my son, Kyle? He's betrayed me though, so you must understand why I had to shoot him," Jenna said with a mocking grin.

Diamond ignored her mocking as she looked over at Blake who clutched to his weapon so tight that he knuckles started to turn white. Apparently, he had never been in a hostage situation.

Diamond returned her attention back to Jenna. "Why are you doing this? What could you possibly have to gain?" Diamond questioned as she looked at the pale figure on the metal table she stood in front of.

Jenna's mocking grin disappeared slightly as she glanced down at the woman then back at Diamond.

"This is what Anatoly wanted. He wanted a weapon he knew that his enemies and even allies couldn't stand a chance against. He wanted to be feared," She said in a low, menacing voice.

Diamond continued to aim at Jenna when she looked down at the boy, Kyle. He kept glancing towards the body on the cot behind him. She couldn't understand what he was doing. He'd look at Diamond until she noticed him then he'd softly nod his chin towards the body. He obviously wanted something that directed towards the body, but what?

'Help!' He then mouthed.

Diamond stood straight as she realized what he said. She looked back at Jenna, trying not to show that she had been communicating with the boy, "Who's the one you're experimenting on?" She then asked trying to delve more into the situation and why Kyle wanted to her to help the body so badly.

Jenna looked behind her for a second then kept her eyes on Blake, clearly deciding whether or not she should say anything. She then grinned as a thought came to mind.

"Sorry, pet, but that's classified information. But, I can say that she has been holding out very well. I'm surprised she even made it after the first drop with all that's she been through in the past, oh, ten years?" She said with a fake innocence.

Diamond glared at her and looked over at Blake. He was somewhat more calm now, but she could tell just by the look on his face that his heart must've been pounding against his rib cage. She then looked back at Kyle to see if he had something else to mouth. She furrowed her brows slightly as he tried to mouth what she guessed to be a name.

She couldn't understand what he was trying to say as Jenna speak again.

"So, Singh, what are you going to do now? You have me cornered and nowhere else to go. Are you going to take me into custody? Or do you even make the rules? You're nothing but a Sergeant First Class. You're nothing like Captain MacTavish or Price? Why would they even listen to you?" She said menacingly as she began to step away from the cot and out into the open, dragging Kyle with her.

Diamond's face burned with anger at her words and all she desired to do was send a bullet through her skull.

"Shut the fuck up!" She said loudly, raising the pistol up an inch to her head.

Jenna just chuckled, "Oh, did I upset Price's pet?" She said mockingly.

"Diamond, just ignore her! She's trying to trick you. She wants you to shoot her," Blake said trying to bring reason to Diamond's angered mind.

"Yes, you are quite right, Williams. I dare you, want you, to shoot me, Singh," She said letting her grin fade from view.

Diamond scowled at her. What was going on? She didn't understand why she would want her to shoot her. "Why?" She questioned keeping her hand steady.

Jenna smirked, but said nothing. She slowly raised her gun from Kyle's chin to his temple, underneath his shaggy black hair.

Diamond felt her heart skip a beat and she looked at the boy's expression. His eyes were wide with fear and his breathing became shallow. Now, Diamond was pissed off.

"Jenna, let him go now!" Diamond yelled stepping towards the two.

"Oh, I don't think I will, Diamond. You see, once I take Kyle down; I planned on shooting myself. I can never live with myself if my little boy were to die, but he hold all my secrets, all my plans," She paused for a moment as she stroked Kyle's cheek with her other hand then grabbed his chin and made him face Diamond, "See the terror in his eyes? I just know now that he wants the pain from his shoulder to go away. It's like the major rule when hunting. You must kill the animal you shot to take it out of its misery. I'm just going to take him out of his misery," Jenna said locking the gun, ready to shoot.

Diamond's heart raced as she took another step towards Jenna, "Stand down Jenna or I'll fucking shoot you myself," She said through her teeth.

Jenna smiled, "You didn't let me finish, Diamond. I was going to say that now I only have one bullet left. So, now that you've seen my work, I have a decision to make. The boy or me? You or Blake here? Decisions, decisions," She said with a fake smile as if this was just a game.

"You're crazy, you're fucking crazy!" Diamond said low enough for the two of them to hear.

Jenna's grin faded from view and anger then took it's place, "I'm crazy? Why don't you take a closer look at that fucking bitch you and MacTavish love so dearly! Melody took everything from me! My life, my husband, my freedom! Anatoly would never have used me if Ian was alive!" She yelled at her.

"Ian killed innocent people, Jenna! He was a monster! I'm glad Melody killed the bastard!" Diamond screamed, interrupting Jenna's rant.

Jenna then moved the gun from Kyle's temple to Diamond herself. Her eyes were full of rage as a growl escaped her lips in frustration, "If you say one more thing against my late husband I swear to God I will end your miserable existence. Both of you!" She threatened looking over at Blake as he then pointed his gun at Jenna.

Diamond's heart raced again. This wasn't the first time she had a weapon pointed at her, but she guessed it was just a human being's natural response to the tension. She kept silent and watched as Jenna moved her gun from her skull and back to Kyle.

"Now, I guess it's time for a little leap of faith. I've made my decision and I know who I'm going to kill. If any of you step in my way I swear I will shoot you both," Jenna said as she kept her towards Kyle.

Diamond's heart stopped as she began to move the gun slightly as if she was still deciding on who to shoot. She didn't know what she was going to do and how she could stop Jenna in time before she pulled the trigger. She had a gut feeling that she was going to go for Jenna for that was what Jenna least suspected after their argument. But what if aiming at Kyle was just a decoy? Her mind was full of questions that she felt like just may be her final questions but she knew she couldn't think like that. She couldn't let Jenna shoot Kyle or anyone else for that matter.

Her mind was made up when Jenna then placed her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot her victim as Diamond made her move.

The room was tense and the air tight as the loud sound a bullet penetrating a skull echoed in each of the people's ears.

"Diamond!" Blake cried out in fear at what was going on. What happened?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay for quick updates! So, do you hate me more for leaving you with another wonderful cliffhanger? Probably not, but I love making you guys mad like that haha. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Chapter Questions: Who was shot? Was it Diamond, Kyle, or possibly Jenna? Will MacTavish make it to Beckham? Will they figure out that the body on the cot is Anna? Will it be too late to save her? Will Ghost ever getting his bloody arse down there?  
><strong>

**Stay tuned and please review! Thanks for reading, it really is appreciated; you have no idea. I love you all and have an awesome day you wonderful people! :D  
><strong>


	45. Chapter 45: There's Good and Bad Endings

The room was tense around them and the air was thick. It seemed like she could hear everyone's heart hammer under their rib cages, but she thought it was just hers. She knew at this very moment that someone was going to die, but she didn't know who. Diamond honestly prayed that she aimed at her so she might be able to save both the boy, Kyle, and whoever was on the cot. But, if she couldn't stop her in time, then she would get away somehow. Blake would be too shocked to do anything if Diamond was shot or killed so Jenna would probably finish him off also. But, they had Ghost somewhere. He would hear the piercing sound of the bullet as it flew from the barrel. There were so many different scenarios that could be played in the next second, but Diamond had no idea which one it was. She knew it was going to end with someone carrying a bullet and bleeding on the floor.

It seemed like every mission that Diamond had been on in her life just flashed through her mind. She had faced many life or death situations before, but for some reason, this one seemed different. Maybe it was because the lives of three innocent people were at stake instead of one. Maybe it was because her young godson could be dead any second or that second. She wanted to help Kyle and the woman, but how were they going to get out of this current situation. Anatoly had trained Jenna after Ian's death; Diamond knew she had to be quick and capable. But, she was trained and mentored by Captain John Price. Diamond grinned at the thought and made her decision.

It was like everything was playing in slow motion as the moment finally came. Diamond's heart stopped beating for those few seconds as she saw Jenna move her pistol towards Diamond who was running towards her. Diamond took Kyle's good shoulder and threw him out of the way as Blake rushed over to help him. It was Diamond and Jenna now.

As Jenna placed her finger above the trigger, Diamond aimed hers right between Jenna's light blue eyes that were full of shock and pure rage. It was like a million memories played on the blue irises as Diamond placed her finger on the trigger. Jenna was standing still ready to shoot the woman in front of her as Diamond scowled at her and pulled down.

Kyle watched with wide eyes as two separate bullets flew to their targets. Diamond grunted at the bullet that penetrated her shoulder and stumbled back as Kyle felt his heart take off. Jenna's eyes were wide as she fell back onto the hard concrete beneath her. Blood began to trickle down her temples that soon mixed with her tears as she took one last look at Kyle who was now weeping on the floor, clutching towards Blake.

Diamond could feel the air thin as her heart slowed. Her arm screamed in agony as she stumbled to the ground. She looked down as the blood began to trickle down her arm and shirt. She then looked up at the body before her. Jenna lay completely still as Diamond spotted a thick, red puddle that stained her wavy blonde hair. Diamond let out her breath with slight victory.

She then stood up and slowly walked towards Jenna. Her eyes were wide as her face was stuck in the same expression she had just seconds ago. It was finally over. Diamond then looked over at Kyle and saw the few tears that poured down his cheeks. She sighed and looked back at Jenna beneath her.

She took the time that they now had and bent down towards Jenna. She didn't bother to close her eyes or anything of the sort, but removed the pistol from her hand and took her cellphone, the dog tags on her neck, and a small book that was carefully placed in her pocket.

Diamond sat there for a moment and looked at the name of the dog tag. Lieutenant Ian Davenport. She sighed and looked over at Kyle who was staring at her. She stepped away from Jenna and began to walk over to Kyle who was clutched his shoulder with one hand and trying to keep his position with the other as Blake tried his best to examine his wound.

Diamond sat next to him and gave her best forced smile, "It may not mean much, but here," She said handing him the dog tags.

Sobs stuck in his throat as he held the still warm chain in his hands. He felt the corner of his lip twitch in slight amusement as he stroked the name on the dog tags with his thumb. He knew it was his father's name; well, before he went absolutely mad. He sighed and looked up at Diamond.

"Thanks," He mumbled looking at her face and black-brown eyes. His thoughts were then pushed to a different topic as he looked over at the body in the floor that he knew was his mother, alive just seconds ago.

He felt a tug at his heart when he saw the puddle of blood on the ground. Though he was glad she was finally stopped, that part of him couldn't help but mourn seeing his mother dead. He knew she would've never been the same woman that gave birth to him so many years ago if she had been alive, but all he could see was his mother. Though she threatened to kill him, he knew there would always be a piece of him that will miss her and love her; the old Jenna.

He looked up at Diamond once more as she caught him looking at the body of Jenna, "S-she's...dead...isn't she?" He asked hesitantly with a sob choking his voice.

Diamond just nodded softly to assure the boy. Kyle felt a tear roll down his cheek and said a silent goodbye. He imagined his mother, years ago when he was just a toddler. She was young, happy, and always smiling. That was his mother though the dead woman in front of him was identical to the one in his memory. He will always remember her that way and loved her that way. Now, she was corrupted and hurt like Ian had been. There was no way to under go that corruption and he had to face that. He hung his head as he bit his lip, trying to hide his tears as he said his last mournful goodbye to her.

He then looked up and it was like a light bulb had shone over his head. Anna! They could help her! He wanted to jump up and run over to her, but the pain in his shoulder made him dizzy and he just stumbled on the ground as Blake gripped him in a careful, but sturdy hold.

He pointed over to her, arm and body shaking from the anxiety of the moment as he smiled wide.

"Anna! You guys have to help her!" Kyle said glancing back at Blake and Diamond.

Kyle felt Blake's firm grip loosen as a look of shock came over his face. Anna? Was he talking about...No, maybe it was just another woman with the same name. Yes, that had to be it.

Kyle was aggravated that neither of them had got up to help her, "Anna! She's right over there! You have to help her! Leave me here and help her!" He said louder and tried to push away from Blake.

Blake snapped back to reality at Kyle's words and carefully placed Kyle in a position that he could sit and rest his arm. He was going to help Diamond up, but seeing her he knew that it would be hard for her to carry or lift anyone. He just ignored her for a moment and ran over to the woman on the cot.

As he walked to her, he took the time to look at the green liquid in the bag. It was almost empty. They had already experiment on her. Was he too late? Was the woman gone? He then looked down at her paper-thin form. He jumped back slightly seeing her ghostly appearance. Her skin was pale white and her skin felt ice cold. She looked like she hadn't eaten in years since her bones were easily visible underneath her thin skin. He honestly thought she looked like one of the victims of some horror movie.

He then took a closer look at her. Her long brown hair was lifeless and stuck to her forehead and neck; she must've started to sweat when the chemical began to set in. He then began to notice something. Her features seemed familiar as Avery came to mind. The eye shape was the same and though she was pale and still, he began to see Anna when she was younger. Running around the lawn, teasing him on long road trips, and walking with Simon down the park walkway.

He then clicked together in his mind. This was Anna. He knew it was! Wait...Anna was alive! Avery was right all this time! But, was she alive? She was still and so cold. He couldn't accept it; he just found his sister, he could lose her so easily like this.

He grabbed her wrist though in his mind he imagined it snapping in two just by his touch. He immediately searched for some kind of pulse. He placed his fingers on her neck also just to make sure.

He could've sworn that she was remarkably still until he felt the slightest movement against the skin on her neck. A pulse! He smiled widely and looked back at the two; Kyle stared at him looking for some kind of clue that she was alive.

Blake nodded quickly in excitement, "She's alive...She's alive! But, we gotta get her out of here now if we wanna keep her that way," He said with a smile then faced the truth of the matter.

He bit his lip thinking of someway to safely get all of them out of there. First, he knew he could never get both Kyle and Anna out of here in one carry. Diamond would be able to walk, but helping Kyle was out of the question. He then remembered Simon waiting for them outside the room and up the stairs.

He then snapped his fingers and told the two he'd be back. He immediately ran out the door and hollered for his brother-in-law. He then wondered how he was going to react seeing Anna after so long? Would he react differently than he had? He pushed that thought away; he didn't have time to wonder if Ghost would be happy or silent seeing his wife after so long.

He was halfway up the stairs when he saw Simon's face appear in the doorway,eyebrow arched with a curious look on his face.

"What are you yelling about? Is everyone okay? Where's Diamond?" He immediately asked coming down the steps to meet him.

"Everybody's fine, sorta. I'll explain it all later but you got to come down there and help me get them out," He said looking at him enthusiastic face and began back down the stairs.

"What are you talking about, Blake? Who the bloody hell is 'them'?" He asked once again but received no answer. He just shook his head at his brother and followed him down the steps.

* * *

><p>MacTavish took off on his bike, ignoring Melody's worried refusal. He could see the van in front of him and he knew what he had to do. He had to stop the van, kill Jenna's men inside, and get Beckham out of there without causing harm to the van and most importantly, Beckham.<p>

He tried to devise the whole plan as he grew closer to the vehicle. He was then cut short on thinking through his plan when he saw one of the men appear out the window, weapon in hand.

MacTavish cursed under his breath as he steered the bike away from the bullets. He tried his best to stay out of range behind the van where the man in the window couldn't get a shot at him. He also tried to search for any silhouette that belonged to Beckham.

He was then cut off again when the van made a sudden turn in the parking lot. MacTavish growled and focused on getting close enough to one of the doors so he could get Beckham faster, but he knew that they were undoubtedly going to put up a fight. He looked at the man in the window as he aimed his weapon again.

MacTavish quickly pulled out his pistol at his hip as he looked back at the man. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw a light red dot placed against his forehead. The same second he heard a bullet fly out from behind and crash into the man's skull.

He quickly looked back to see who could have shot the bullet that probably saved him and time. He chuckled seeing Melody holding her gun steadily as Price and the others ran out from behind her. At least he had some back up.

MacTavish sped towards the window and grabbed the dead man's hair, tossing and pulling him out of the window. He looked back for a second as he watched the body tumble and roll down the concrete road. He nodded to himself once and opened the car door. He then met Daniil at the driver's seat.

He was pointing a weapon in his direction as he tried to steer the vehicle and keep MacTavish at bay. He glared at the man and looked back into the car. His heart stopped and dropped to him stomach when he caught Beckham's small, pale white form laying terrifyingly still in the back seat.

That small moment that he let his guard down, Daniil turned a sharp corner hoping to toss MacTavish out of the opened door behind him. MacTavish growled and cursed a loud as he felt his body lurch from the seat and fall back towards the concrete ground.

He could hear Melody's terrified scream come from behind him, but he just ignored her. He wasn't wasting a second to calm his wife's nerves. He gripped the side of the door and wrapped his arm around the window of the car door, hoping to keep a sturdy position as he then reached for his pistol once again.

MacTavish could practically feel all his memories of being on both the SAS and the Task Force flash through his mind. He tried to reuse those moments as he locked his pistol, ready for use. He then looked up at Daniil with a menacing and frightening, cold glare as he quickly aimed it at the man.

Daniil's eyes were wide as he saw the man before him pull the trigger and capture the fear on his face as the bullet penetrated his skull. MacTavish knew that he had to get Beckham out now since Daniil's corpse had smashed his foot against the gas pedal.

His heart raced against his chest as he tried to somehow move the body so he could steer it into a safe drive, but he knew he didn't have the time to unbuckle the corpse and throw him aside before the vehicle crashed into the wall that separated the parking lot from the busy streets.

He immediately looked back at Beckham and noticed that they hadn't even bothered to buckle him in anyway. At that moment, he was thankful. He quickly crawled over the seat some and grabbed Beckham's waist and pulled him towards his chest.

He tried to look for some kind of pulse or any sign that he was alive, but the boy was unmoving and ice cold. He looked up to see how close they were to the wall and cursed loudly as he saw that he had to get out of there now.

His heart raced as he wrapped an arm around around his still son and kicked the door beside him open and immediately launched himself out of the moving vehicle. He pressed Beckham against him and covered his head under the armor on his arms as he felt his back crash against concrete ground.

The breath was knocked out of him and all he could think about was the boy in his arms. He felt dizzy as they rolled a couple of times before finally stopping. Beckham rolled out from his arms and lay a few feet away from him, completely undisturbed from what just happened.

MacTavish's whole body ached and screamed in pain as he heard Melody's screams once again as they grew louder and closer. He rolled over on his side closer to Beckham and his eyes grew wide seeing the blood and bruises on his arms and legs.

"Beckham!" He huffed out and crawled towards his young son.

Melody had ran over at the time MacTavish began to crawl towards him. Her face was pale and white with fright and her whole body shook with fear as she collapsed to her knees, ignoring the slight pain she felt when she did.

She grabbed the boy's body and softly pulled him into her arms, stroking back his hair and trying to remove the blood and dirt from his face.

"Melody, check him! Find a pulse, now!" He yelled sitting next to her as he stared down at the boy's ghostly pale face.

Melody's heart raced in fear at her husband's words and prayed to find any kind of pulse, whether it be small or fast. She first checked his neck as she placed her fingers slightly down his shirt and checked the bottom of his neck. She couldn't feel anything.

She then moved to both of his small wrists, but found nothing. Her body began to shake more as reality slapped her in the face. No, this couldn't be happening. She wouldn't allow; she wouldn't believe it. She tried to shake him to wake up, screaming begging for him to wake up.

"Beckham! Please, baby, wake up! Mommy's here, sweetie, Mommy came for you! Please, please wake up!" Tears began to pour down her cheeks and sobs choked her voice as she cried to the boy's body.

MacTavish felt his own tears appear as they rolled down his cheeks as he wrapped his arm around Melody's shoulder as they both mourned over the boy. He watched as both the tears from Melody and himself rolled down and fell against the boy;s sleeping face.

He couldn't believe it. They had gone through all of this just to find him dead. He immediately blamed himself once again. He should've been faster, quicker; maybe Beckham wouldn't be dead if he had been just that. But, he wasn't and now Beckham paid the price for his mistakes.

He felt like yelling, cursing, even killing for the death of his young son. He wished that Jenna was there so he could end her wretched life slowly and painfully. He wanted her to feel the pain that both he and Melody were feeling, but now all he could do was cry and hold the boy's still, cold hand as he beat himself up in his mind.

Price, Becca, and Dunn then came running up behind him when they saw the two huddling up around the small boy. Melody didn't bother to even glance at them as she kept holding onto him.

Price looked at MacTavish's face and immediately knew the answer to his unspoken question. He sighed giving him a sympathetic look.

MacTavish looked over at Becca who was curious but slowly absorbing the truth while Dunn was still trying to figure it out or make himself not believe the scene before him. Either way, it was obvious they all knew.

"He's dead," MacTavish said softly and mostly to himself in defeat.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ...Yes, I did. Well, so it looks like Jenna's finally dead and Beckham is too. Bummer...**

**Chapter Questions: What will happen now that Jenna's dead? Will they dispose of the recreated Nova 6? What will happen to Anna? How will Ghost react to seeing her? What about Avery; will she play the 'I told you so' card? What will MacTavish and Melody do now? What will happen to Beckham?  
><strong>

**Stay tuned and please don't virtually kill me...Please review? I feel as though I'm not gonna get any nice words on this one haha. But, seriously, thanks for reading. It means a lot. Soo, thanks again and have an awesome day.  
><strong>


	46. Chapter 46: There's Gotta Be Another Way

Ghost slowly jogged into the room that Blake was leading him to. He had no idea what was going on and why Blake was so on-edge, but he knew that it couldn't possibly be good. Thick air met him the second he came in contact with the hidden room. It was like the door hadn't been opened in years and all the stuffed air and dust particles sighed with relief the second the door had moved an inch. Ghost then regretted wearing his old mask since he could've sworn that he immediately started to sweat when he entered the room.

Removing the glasses and balaclava, he pulled off his mask and sighed as he took in the scene in front of him. He was slightly surprised to see the corpse of Jenna lying in front of him, but that mattered little to him when he looked to his left and saw Diamond clutching her arm as she softly chatted with a young boy. He furrowed his eyebrows. Was this boy the prisoner?

"What happened here?" He asked glancing back at Blake who was standing in the corner pulling and pushing at something and back at Diamond and the boy who were now staring up at him.

Diamond looked over at the boy who suddenly started smiling and softly laughed as if this was some kind of prank or joke. She couldn't blame him for laughing and smiling now; he probably hadn't done so in years.

"Riley, this is Kyle. He was Jenna's son," She said slightly breathlessly as she patted the boy's shoulder with her own grin.

Simon raised his brows in surprise and shook his head in disbelief, "Next time, you're taking guard duty!" He then said pointing at Diamond who just started laughing.

"I wasn't the one who told you to in first place, Riley," She said with a mocking expression and looked back at Kyle who was smiling at the two's bickering.

Simon opened his mouth to say something, but just sighed and waved her off muttering under his breath. He then turned over to Blake who was still standing in the corner and had now turned to look back at the group. Simon noticed him clutching to a small, pale white hand and sighed. What had he missed?

"Getting cozy with a corpse there, Blake?" He said sarcastically and walked towards him.

Blake swiftly turned back to face him, anger clear on his face that made Simon halt in his tracks, "Shut up you jackass and come and help me!" He ordered in a harsh tone.

Simon was shocked at the ferocity in his brother-in-law's voice but decided not to make him any angrier and stood beside him.

He would've been lieing if he said that the figure on the cot hadn't made him jump. The body was so thin and fragile that the slightest touch would make her shrivel and turn into a pile of dust. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the person lying under him as he examined marks on her skin and the clear fact that she was left in some kind of room or cell to die. Her skin seemed to press down against her bones and make them more noticeable. Her legs, arms, and fingers were so bony that the first thing that popped into his mind was some kind of ghost from an old horror movie.

But, what really caught his attention, was the bracelet that loosely hung onto her bony wrist. Though Blake messed around trying to find someway to get her out of the room and muttered orders at him, he completely ignored him as he studied the homemade bracelet.

He felt his heart stop beating and the air in his lungs suddenly halted and he forgot how to breathe. He read the lettered beads under his breath, still not fully believing the proof underneath him.

"Simon and Anna R. forever," He muttered feeling his throat tighten.

Denial quickly went through his head. He was dreaming right? This was one big crazy dream and he was going to wake up at anytime. He'd been letting Avery's theories get the better of him that now he was even dreaming that his beloved Anna was alive and under his touch. He just...had to close his eyes and when he opened them, he'd be in his room. He nodded to himself and immediately shut his eyes. Slowly counting to three, he imagined waking up and finding the familiar four walls of his small room. Once at three, he reopened his eyelids and found that he was still in the same room, staring down at the pale figure that was his wife. This was real!

Then panic took course, what was he doing just sitting there? He had to get her out of there! There was a faint pulse; good, but it was faint and it wasn't going to stay that way forever!

Completely ignoring Blake's warning and commands, he ripped off the cords that was strapped to the woman and immediately placed one arm under her knees and managed to wrap a still arm around his neck.

"Blake, help Diamond and the kid get out of here. Diamond; contact Price, if you can, and tell him our report and tell him we're going to need an extra vehicle if possible," He said looking at the pair frantically and started running out the door and up the stairs, leaving them behind.

Diamond and Blake just sat there staring at the opened door while Kyle was smiling and laughing in victory. He had done it! Anna was going to get the help she desperately needed...But, wait. What about Beckham? Did they find him? They had to; this was the Task Force, right? He had heard some of the stories of their old missions and old missions of the members. Nothing could stop them. His thoughts were peaceful as he knew that he was probably in his mother or father's arms now, smiling and laughing at their reunion as he was now.

Diamond snapped out of her shocked trance and placed a finger on her earpiece and began to contact Price in Washington.

"Price? This is Diamond, do you hear me? Price, come in," Diamond said at first hearing the hum of static.

"Diamond?... Please, tell me you have good news," She heard Price's depressed, rough voice in her ear.

Just the very tone sent chills down her spine and made her heart stop in fear.

"We found Jenna and the prisoner plus one more hostage. Well, somewhat hostage. The prisoner turned out to be Anna Riley. I suppose that Jenna had been keeping her here since Anatoly had been so persist in keeping her hostage during his small reign. She also had her son, Kyle, with her this whole time. That fucking bitch had gone completely mad and was willing to shoot him in cold blood right in front of me. Good news; Jenna's finally dead and Kyle and Anna are alive. Riley just left a second ago to find help for her. I'm guessing he's going to get Frost and Ramirez. We're all good here, a little wounded, but nothing a little doctoring can't fix," Diamond said ignoring Blake's offer of help up and managed to pull herself up from her uncomfortable position and walked towards another corner of the room, trying to keep the conversation low just in case Kyle was still delicate with the matter.

"So, what's happening up there with you guys?" She then asked leaning against the wall with her good arm and waited for the news. She was expecting good news of happy reunions and possibly even overhearing joyous laughter, but the sharp coldness of silence met her. She literally felt her heart break into a million microscopic pieces at the words that escaped Price's lips.

"It...took a while, but we were able to find...Beckham," He paused as if it was impossible to say the boy's name then continued in a lower tone, "They were going to move him to some other location to, what we guessed, start experimentation on him, but Soap was able to stop the vehicle and killed Jenna's right hand man, Daniil, but..." He stopped again. Diamond felt the blood drain from her body and every muscle in her body tightened and held her in the position of complete and utter fear.

"But what, Price? Tell me!" She demanded as she felt her throat grow tighter with each breathe of air she took.

"It... was too late, Diamond...he's gone. Beckham's dead," Price said through tight gasps of air.

Diamond felt as though every bone in her body had suddenly snapped and all she wanted to do was scream bloody murder. No..no, no, no. This wasn't happening...It wasn't true. Beckham had to be alive! He wasn't supposed to die! Tears began to pour down her tan cheeks as she removed her finger from the comm and she placed her hands against her eyes, mentally begging for this to be a dream.

She hadn't never felt this much sadness or pain, not even when Grinch and the team had died. Yes, it still tore her apart this day, but there was something much more different regarding Beckham's death. That little boy was her godchild, along with the others. She had been there since his first breath in this world until now. This wasn't happening! It just _couldn't _be!

She had been there what seemed like every day of his life. Every birthday, holiday or any kind of event that she knew held importance to both MacTavish and Melody and even the boy himself.

She thought about the happy, healthy little boy that used to run around her apartment before Gracie was born and when she'd watch the kids because MacTavish and Melody would go out. The boy who was going to be a fighter pilot as he grew older and was kind to every creature he saw. The boy who found good in everyone; he could've found some kind of good in Makarov or Zakhaev though he knew that they were absolutely no good. He was so kind and so innocent. Why would anyone want to hurt him?

That last thought made her head turn towards the corpse on the ground. Her lip curled in anger and she immediately reached down into her holster and pulled out the USP. 45 that she had just recently placed back there.

Without thinking, she reloaded it and aimed at the dead woman and repetitively shot into the still body. Hot, boiling, angry tears rolled down her cheeks as she cursed at the woman underneath her and continued to fire bullets into her chest and the last three into her skull.

Kyle jumped back in fear as he watched his dead mother's body twitch from the sudden release of bullets into the body. The sight of more bullets holes in her body and skull made him want to vomit and tried to crawl away from the sight to where he couldn't see it anymore.

Blake jumped in and tried to make the crazed woman cease her fire; pushing at her shoulders and yelling orders at her. He finally pushed her far back and stole the gun from her hand. He knew that was way too easy and began to fear himself.

"Diamond! What the hell is wrong with you?" He screamed at her and tossed the empty gun aside and stared at her face. He knew that she was holding back when Blake had pushed her away. Something was terribly wrong.

Diamond furiously wiped away the hot tears on her steaming face and turned to glare at Blake even though she knew he wasn't the bad guy for not knowing.

"That fucking bitch killed him! We were too fucking late! She killed him!" Diamond screamed at him, completely ignoring and forgetting Kyle's presence.

"Killed who? What's going on?" Blake yelled back trying to figure out what was happening though he had a strong guess of the situation. Even he prayed it to be wrong.

Diamond paused for a moment as grief and sadness took control once again. Her lips quivered slightly and she frowned, anger and pain taking place in her features.

"Beckham...Beckham's...dead," She said unable to let the words flow from her mouth and found that she had to force them out.

Kyle caught onto the conversation and slumped back in defeat. No; that's not what was going to happen. It was supposed to be a happy ending! Even he wanted to curse at the woman he once called mother now as tears began to pool in his eyes. Beckham was his friend; he had sworn to look after him while he was here, but he failed. He was gone. He couldn't even find hope in Anna's survival now though he was still happy she was alive.

He winced as he managed to wrap his good arm around his knees and placed his cheek against his knee as tears escaped the rim of his eyelids. Softly, he begged for forgiveness from the now deceased boy far off in Washington as the sound of Diamond's sobs and cries of apologies echoed around the still room. The room that had been filled with joy just seconds ago was now quiet as everyone sat still to mourn the loss of the small boy.

* * *

><p>MacTavish's words circled around the group, but fell on Melody's dead ears. She clutched her little boy to her chest as tears poured down her cheeks and sobs shook her form. She could Becca's gasp that was soon followed by her own tears of sorrow. Price seemed to be quiet, but a few tears streamed down his eyes as he stared down at the boy's palm that hung limply away from Melody's lap.<p>

MacTavish had to walk away from the scene as tears and sobs shook his shoulders and tremors rolled down his spine. He knew he was going to lose it and he didn't want Melody seeing him. Or any of the others for that matter.

Melody just sat there praying that this was a dream. She blamed herself for all of this. She should've known that Jenna wouldn't just forget her plan of revenge against her and the whole Task Force. She was stupid to think that things would be normal from then on and they could live out a normal life. She knew from the second she joined the military that things would never be the same; why had she thought different? She should've kept closer eye on her children and made sure they were always under hers or MacTavish's watchful eye, but no. She stood talking with Jamie's teacher while her baby boy was stolen right from under her.

Sobs struck her fiercely at the thought of Beckham suddenly snatched at his weakest moment, crying out for his momma or daddy. It broke her heart into a million pieces and all she wanted to do was crawl into a corner and disappear. She didn't want her mother like she usually did when times with the kids were hard, she didn't even want MacTavish though she knew he must've been suffering now. She didn't want to see anyone, especially MacTavish. The boys were a spitting image of their father, minus the blonde hair and seeing Beckham in his face would only bring more painful tears.

Dunn held Becca as she mourned her little 'nephew's' death and tried to hide his own tears seeing the woman breaking down. He watched as MacTavish strode away, hands on his his head as if he was trying to push it down. He jumped slightly hearing the loud crash as he kicked the nearest trash can and sent it flying towards the security station some feet away. Anger and pain welled up in him and he had no idea what he was going to do. They had done everything they could but it still wasn't good enough.

Tears poured down his cheeks pressed his hands against the nearest wall and leaned into it, happy to find something strong and sturdy to lean into. He couldn't bare to see Melody at the moment; seeing her agony-filled face only brought more guilt and pain, stabbing him in the heart. He wished he could've been faster, could've been smarter. Maybe he would've been able to figure out Jenna's plan all along, but no, he practically camped out in a camera room while some damn Russian carried his boy away from him.

He growled in angry and balled a fist, slamming it against the wall as he heard Price's low voice feet away from him. He could hear the low hum of Diamond's voice...No... The very sound brought even more pain knowing they had to tell the others of the events. He knew it was going to crush Diamond, but how badly?

"Diamond...Please tell me you have good news," He said in a low tone, wiping off a tear that had begun to roll down his cheek and into his bristled bear, flecked with grey and dark brown.

MacTavish couldn't tell what was being said on the other side of the comm he knew Price's report wasn't going to be any good and wasn't sure if it mad things better somewhat better or much worse on Diamond's account.

The seconds seemed to be like hours as Diamond filled Price in on her situation. MacTavish placed his forehead against the concrete wall and he could hear the soft tick of his watch; practically mocking him of the time of his son's death.

Suddenly, the soft hum of Diamond's voice died down as Price sighed and turned away from Melody, unable to say the next words in front of the woman and the still body of the boy as his throat tightened saying it aloud. MacTavish knew Diamond must've asked for a report on what was going down here.

Everyone was quiet as Price began to speak, the silence eating at them alive and closing their throats from letting any words escape as Price managed to force out the words he needed to tell Diamond.

"It...took a while, but we were able to find...Beckham. They were going to move him to some other location to, what we guessed, start experimentation on him, but Soap was able to stop the vehicle and killed Jenna's right hand man, Daniil, but..." He stopped.

MacTavish looked up to see the pain and struggle form on the older man's face. He knew that Price must've made dozens of phone calls like this to families of fallen soldiers. He also knew that each was only harder. And the fact that this fallen soldier was a little boy...It just seemed impossible for him.

"It... was too late, Diamond...he's gone. Beckham's dead," Price said managing to get the words out of his tight throat and furiously brushed off a tear that began to roll down his cheek again.

MacTavish felt the words go straight to his heart. It hurt saying them aloud, but hearing them felt like a hot rod down his throat. He wanted to collapse and crumble; he wanted to break down, but he knew he couldn't. He had to be strong. Especially now since Melody hadn't made one move or sound since he walked away from her. It was as if she had turned to stone.

Price then turned back to the group knowing they were waiting for some kind of report of Diamond and the rest of the team.

He took a deep breath and looked at his daughter's and son-in-law's face. He wasn't ready to look Melody or MacTavish in the eye. Not now, at least.

"Jenna's dead. Diamond killed her just moments ago. There are some wounded, but they should be fine. It also seems that there was some kind of miracle. Anna Riley was found in Jenna's hideout and was the prisoner we had no idea about. Jenna's young son, Kyle, was also there. They're working on getting them out safely and finding a hospital for the wounded," He said quickly filling them in on the team.

Price's words had fallen on Melody's dead ears once again since she refused to hear a single word say besides her guilty, grieving thoughts that replayed over and over in her head. But, MacTavish heard every single word. P

Price's last sentence had pricked his ears and a dull, but sudden cloud of hope hung over his head. He remembered seeing a hospital on the way to the location they were at now. It was just a couple of blocks down the road...Was he that crazy?

Yes, yes he was. Without any sign of warning, MacTavish suddenly pushed himself away from the wall and stormed towards Melody who clutched to Beckham tightly. He knew she would pick up a fight if he tried to take him from her arms, but he really didn't give a damn about what she did or what she would say. He wasn't just going to sit on his ass and let his son be dead. There had to be some way.

MacTavish looked down at Melody's pale face and though knots tied in his stomach and he felt sorry for his grieving wife, he didn't have time to mourn anymore. He pried Melody's arms off of the still body and though Melody screamed at him, grabbed the boy in his arms.

With one last look at his team, he turned and began to run with all his might towards the exit of the parking lot.

Both Melody and Price screamed at him to come back, he ignored them. All he could feel was his minor wounds becoming more noticeable and painful and the still body of Beckham slightly hitting against his chest as he sprinted down the long aisles of cars.

He prayed he could remember the route they took and sprinted down the sidewalk; the only thing on his mind was getting Beckham to that hospital, praying for there to be a way to make the boy come back.

He wasn't ready to lose him. He wasn't ready for Beckham to be gone. He wasn't ready.

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><p><strong>AN: First of all, sorry for being a lazy bum and not even trying to write this chapter sooner. You may virtually hit me if you want. I wouldn't blame you. Second, RUN MACTAVISH RUN! Haha, I always wanted to say that! **

**Chapter Questions: What will happen to Anna now that Ghost knows its her? Will she survive and get the help she needs? What will Avery do when she finds out? What about Diamond and Kyle? What's going to happen to them now that Beckham's dead? And, will Beckham somehow survive or was this his final day on Earth?  
><strong>

**You'll just have to find out next time 'cause I ain't telling you jack, my awesome readers! Haha, thanks for reading! You have no idea what it means to me just knowing that someone actually cares to read this. Makes my whole week!  
><strong>

**Please review giving me your complete 100% honest opinion. I don't care if it hurts, I can live with it. Anyway, thanks again for reading and having a wonderful day..or night.  
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**Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday!  
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**...  
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**Who's birthday you ask? I don't know, but it's gotta be someone's birthday out there. So, happy birthday! :D  
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**Okay, that's enough of me. I've been up all night and I am WAY too hyper. Bye everyone! :)  
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	47. Chapter 47: After a Crisis

_One Year Later;_

"Price! Price!" A young voice called out as the owner's thin and tall body pushed it's way through the crowd of students around him.

Price turned around, taking a break to stare at the school grounds, when he heard the young man's voice call out towards him. He chuckled seeing him clutching to his black backpack and holding a folded piece of paper in his hands in a tight clasp as he rushed to Price's side, smile stretching across his mouth.

Kyle's shaggy black hair bounced against his temples as he zoomed past fellow classmates and looked at Price with the same determination a runner would make towards the finish line. Price knew that the boy was taking tests in History and had been nervous and, honestly, scared about taking it in fear of failing, but seeing the smile stretched across his mouth gave him mental positive feedback. That or the boy was too happy about failing... Price would have to talk to him if that was the case.

Price took a step away from his car as if to meet the speeding thirteen year old half way, but was nearly knocked off his feet when the scrawny boy suddenly sprinted faster towards him, jumped, and clutched to the older man's shoulders, wrapping his legs around his knees.

"Easy, son! I'm not as young as I used to be!" He nearly yelled when the young teenager threw himself on him.

Kyle just laughed merrily and clutched to the older man for another minute, "I'm a genius! Einstein ain't got nothing on me!" He said between loud laughs, not caring that others saw him with the older man.

Price just laughed with him and eventually threw him off his shoulders, the boy suddenly feeling like a boulder against him.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked as the boy just continued to smile and started to dance in front of him. He had a clue of what, but seeing the expression on his face it was obvious that he was going to explode if he didn't tell someone soon.

"My History test's gotten into me! I study all weekend and look at the grade!" He paused for a moment and practically shoved the paper into his face, to enthusiastic to care that he was getting too excited, "Look at it!" He said in a throaty voice, Price guessed he was trying out his Russian accent again.

Price took the paper that was inches away from his face and pulled it back to get a better look as Kyle practically bounced in excitement waiting for the man's reaction.

"An A, that's great, lad!" He said giving him a hard slap on the shoulder.

"Ow," He muttered under his breath with a smile, but continued celebrating his success for a minute later.

"Alright, Kyle, if you're done basking in your own glory, we gotta get going! I'm already late and your mother's going to kill us both if we're another second late," He said with a grin, placing his hand on the back of Kyle's head and giving him a friendly push towards the car.

Kyle grinned thinking of the woman, Rachel, "'Kay, hey Price? Do you think Avery and Anna and them will be here?" he asked carefully tucking his precious grade into his backpack as they both started towards the car as Price played with the keys in his hand.

"O'course, Ghost's gotten close to Dunn and Becca over the past year so it's without a doubt they'll be there," He said reassuring the boy's eager mind.

Kyle balled a fist and tucked his arm towards his chest, letting out a long chorus of 'sweet' before entering the passenger seat, flinging his backpack in the back seat and looked back at Price, expecting to get the same face he always got when he did that, but was surprised when he saw no such thing. Maybe it was his lucky day after all.

The car ride was fairly long and silent for a while. The school year was almost over and summer was around the corner and almost every kid in town was praying that time would speed up for a couple weeks before slowing back down again. Kyle propped one foot on his seat and reclined it slightly like he always did and stared at the trees and scenery as it flew by his window.

He couldn't help but think about how things were just one year ago; forced to leave with his psychotic mother who was so hell-bent on getting her revenge that she had completely tossed aside sanity and the love that she had once had for her only son. He was glad that she was gone, honestly, and he knew that if there was ever a way that he could've gone back to the moment she was killed, he wouldn't change it any other way, but he did wish there could've been a way where everything and everyone had a decent ending.

He then grinned when the topic thought of decent endings came to mind. He remembered Diamond and Blake taking him out to the rest of the team that he was soon going to call family. He also remembered seeing MacTavish running out of the exit with the corpse of Beckham. It still gave him chills to remember the sight so he decided to change it to something new.

He remembered Diamond, Blake, and Simon first visiting him at the hospital and remembered the pain in his shoulder he had felt when he had tried to prop himself up. That was also the day he realized that he actually like the woman, Diamond. She was like a sister, teasing him, but also knowing the limit of her jokes so she wouldn't accidentally say something that made him depressed or sad or angry. Blake seemed nice also, but he couldn't tell why he was so nervous around Simon. He guessed it was that he was Avery's father. That he really got to meet him in person besides seeing him from afar in a parking lot or pictures or hearing about him.

It was also the first day he met John Price and how he thought he had such a paternal presence that made him feel safe. He definitely liked that feeling after all the hell he had been through. It was different and a difference he was willing to accept. He remembered answering all the questions he gave him. They were mainly about Jenna and his father, what had been their roll in the past and why Jenna was, exactly from her words, why she wanted to kill Melody and her family.

Of course, he asked about his roll in everything and how he had grown up around all this. Rachel had been in the room with Price and he honestly wondered if she had needed a tissue at one point hearing about Jenna and how she had treated him over the years until her final day. When Price was done with his little questioning, he had wished the boy good luck, a good job for being so brave, and advised him to get some rest after they left. Rachel took that moment, as they were exiting his room, to grab him and practically drag him to a corner of the main lobby and began rushing out some long speech about how Kyle was now an orphan and had nowhere to go and that they had no one living in their home and had so much room.

Price had nearly yelled at her to get her to take a breath and let him think about it. Of course, Price knew she had a point and months later they were filling out adoption papers and readying the boy for his new home. Kyle knew that was the happiest day of his life, but wondered if Price really wanted to take him in or merely did so to make his wife happy.

"Price..." He started repositioning himself in his seat so he could look him in the eye.

Price glanced over at him in the passenger seat, partially surprised that he had spoken since he was usually quiet during car rides, "Yeah?" He said remembering he was waiting for a response.

Kyle was nervous and didn't exactly know how to say what he was wanting to say, so he hesitated for a moment, "I really do think of you as a dad, ya know? When I was younger, I always thought that I was just destined to have that kind of lifestyle with my mom so the thought of an actual mom and dad never really crossed my mind...but, I'm glad that, in the end, you and Rachel were able to my parents," He said shyly staring ahead, looking at the road in front of them.

Price glanced occasionally at him as he told him this and then grinned, "I know, boy," He said still not quite sure what to say after hearing Kyle's confession.

Kyle bit at the corner of his mouth as he continued to stare out in front of him, not sure of what to say after this since he knew he just created an awkward silence for the both of them.

"Are...Do...Do you and Rachel...ya know, ever regret it? Taking me in, I mean," He asked hesitantly just wanting to get it over with. He didn't know what Price would say, but he wanted the question to quit haunting his thoughts.

Price was surprised once again at the question he asked, but kept that to himself and grinned, "Of course not. Rachel was the one who hounded me in the first place. I won't lie though, I was skeptical about it since you were almost a teenager at that time and I thought we'd be going through the same teenage drama like we did with Becca, but, just like Becca, I will never regret it," He paused for a moment seeing a grin stretch across his mouth as he continued to stare forward, "But... if you do any weird shit on me you won't live to see tomorrow, ya hear me?" He said with a serious tone and expression.

Kyle immediately turned to look at Price with furrowed eyebrows, shocked and a little afraid at what he had said until Price barked out a laugh at the boy's face which caused Kyle to smile in return, slightly thinking he was just joking.

"I did the same thing to Becca when she was about your age. It let me know exactly what she thought when it came towards bad ideas, in a way. I like to think she knew her limits and knew that if she crossed them she would be going through hell after them," He said explaining to the boy who slightly relaxed and sank back into his seat.

"Don't worry, Price...I definitely won't be listening to bad influences," He said, mainly to himself, laying back in the reclined seat and stared up at the top of the car for a moment.

Price glanced down at the boy and grinned. He knew at that moment that he wouldn't have to worry about that anytime soon, and the knew that he and Rachel weren't going to worry too much about him, but he knew there was going to be times where they wished they had an empty nest again once he got older cause he knew that nobody is perfect. He just prayed that that time was far off in the future.

Kyle thought about his new sister, Becca. He had met her regularly and now grew to know her more over the months and called her 'sis' while she called him 'little bub'. He thought it weird that a year ago, he was practically an orphan with no family members, friends, or didn't even have the joy to say that he at least had his mother since she was always gone and disappearing multiple times before she went completely insane and now he had a new father and mother who he knew we're always going to be there for him and encourage him. In a year, he had become a new son, brother, and an uncle.

That he knew was going to take years getting used to and not just for him. Michaela and Mikey were still trying to understand what their grandparents and mother try telling them. Mikey had immediately became his little buddy after two weeks of seeing them, but Michaela was more cautious. Kyle couldn't help but wonder if she was too much like her grandfather, for Price was very cautious the first month Kyle had moved in. It was, actually, awkward, as Kyle thought of it. Thankfully, Price warmed up to the boy within a month or two and that was an obvious fact seeing as how he had run and jump to Price when he picked him up just minutes ago.

Rachel was like Becca. She almost immediately accepted him and thought of him as a member of the family. Of course, things were awkward and quite dull the first month or so, but like with Mikey, they considered him family. Kyle smiled thinking about it.

He was also glad to be part of the family for that meant he could see more of Avery and Anna and Beckham instead of maybe just being able to email them or think of them in some foster home. He took in a deep breath and blew a loose strand of shaggy black hair as it tickled the end of his nose. Maybe Rachel's constant nagging was right; he did need a hair cut. His hair was getting longer than he liked and blew the strand away so he wouldn't have to worry about it bothering him again.

* * *

><p>MacTavish watched as his three, almost four, year old bounced around the other kids on the trampoline in Rachel and Price's large backyard. Jamie was commanding them all to stop as she tried to do a flip, but kept failing. Avery and her friend, Denaye or Nay for short, sat calmly in the middle laughing about something as Gracie halted in bouncing to jump across the trampoline and tackled the two girls, knocking them over in the process.<p>

Mikey squealed a shrill laugh as the girl's were tackled by the four year old and even Michaela managed a grin at the older girl's annoyance of the youngest one.

He was checking his wrist-watch for the fourth time now just wondering where Melody could be; it seemed that she was the only one not there now. Price and Kyle just arrived and Kyle was finishing up on some late homework before he joined the other kids, plotting a way to sneak up on them somehow. MacTavish grinned thinking about the thirteen year old. He wondered if Kyle or any of the others thought about how everything changed. Before, he was just some prisoner of his mother's lunacy and alone and now he's surrounded by family and encouraged by Price.

He continued to look at the rambunctious children until he spotted his mother-in-law's figure appearance beside him.

"Where's Melody and the boys? They were supposed to be here nearly an hour ago," She asked checking her wrist-watch for what seemed like the millionth time in the past hour.

MacTavish shrugged, "Not sure. Beckham's check-up should've been over nearly thirty minutes ago and with Christopher's accident it's not like he was at practice. Although, the boys were being pretty rowdy when we left this morning. Beckham's upset because he hasn't been able to play soccer for months. Christopher is just being Chris. Stubborn little thing," He said with a slight scoff thinking about his young sons.

Melanie just chuckled, "Yup, he takes after his mother, that's for sure. I couldn't get Melody to do anything unless she was one hundred percent for it. Used to drive me insane!" She said stressing the word 'insane' to make it clearer.

MacTavish smiled, "Yeah, of all the things he could've taken after her, he gets stubborn as a damn mule," He said staring out into space with a sympathetic look on his face.

Melanie grinned, "How's Gracie been doing? I know things have been tough because of all the new changes in her life, it must be hard for someone at her age to adjust to this so quickly," She said thinking about her youngest granddaughter.

MacTavish sighed thinking about the new lifestyle she was immediately forced into at such a short notice, "I think she's been doing good. Her speech is slowly coming back. Melody and I will take time at least once a day for an hour or two and work on her speech. She's getting better, but her pronunciation is killing her lately," He paused with a slight chuckle then continued, "Her 'c's are 't's,' her 'g's are 'd's, her 'l's and 'r's are 'w's. It's actually pretty funny. Sometimes, she'll use 'em like they're silent letters. She'll be yelling at the boys when they're aggravating her and it comes out 'sop' or whenever they play puppy she gives them commands like 'say'. We've been trying to learn Gracie's language," He jokingly said thinking about the strange way his youngest daughter spoke.

Melanie softly laughed with him, "Well, I'm just glad to hear that she's getting better with it. She'll definitely need it when she goes to preschool. By the way, how's Melody handling that? I know she's used to having Gracie around all the time and used to babying her, I imagine it'll be harder on her then Gracie," Melanie asked with a grin.

"She's going into denial. We bring up the 'P' word and she immediately acts as if she never heard of it. I'm thinking about taking her myself, but some days she'll get upset about the idea," He said as another figure appeared beside him.

"And then you guys couldn't make another Scottish baby if she's upset," Diamond said appearing at his shoulder, wide grin on her face. Frost tagged along behind her, hand still clasped with hers.

MacTavish rolled his eyes and turned to her, "Oh great, Diamond's here!" MacTavish said with jokingly fake enthusiasm.

She just stuck her tongue out at him, "So, where's the rest of your herd? I'd figure Melody would be here with the boys and baby number five by now," She said looking around, arms crossed, as Melanie moved her attention to something else.

"Good question. Who knows where she is. I told her that I should've taken Noah off her hands, but like I was just talking with Melanie, she's stubborn as a mule. She's got Beckham who will most likely still be complaining about the side effects of the medicine he was given, an irritable soccer playing with a broken ankle who's been in a sour mode for the past week, and a screaming baby. She's going to come out of that car with thirty gray hairs, you just watch!" He said counting out the stress-worthy reasons on his fingers.

Diamond chuckled, "I'm surprised you guys aren't completely gray-headed already. It seems like you pop out another kid every five minutes. I just keep the baby clothes you guys accidentally leave and save until your next baby shower," Diamond pursing her lip with a sarcastic look on her face.

Frost laughed behind her as he crossed to her side, slipping his arm around her waist as he did so.

MacTavish pulled his lips down to a frown, "That explains why the T-shirt you got Noah looked familiar. I think it had been either Beckham's or Christopher's," He said recalling the recognizable gift they received from Diamond.

She grinned as they all heard tires turning from the front yard and considered that it was finally Melody and the boys arriving.

Gracie ran through the gap between MacTavish and Diamond, muttering a small 'Scuse me' as she ran towards the gate exiting the backyard. As she ran, she chanted 'Baby brudder' over and over.

MacTavish immediately knew that it was them as he heard Beckham's cry of joy as he jumped out of the vehicle followed by Melody's voice.

"Christopher! You better not be off those crutches unless you're sitting down. Beckham, if you go in the house you walk!" She called out to the boys who now appeared by the gate, matching blonde heads bobbing as they ran, Christopher swooping beside his brother.

MacTavish chuckled, "Miss Drill Sergeant has arrived," He said jokingly.

Diamond chuckled as she watched Beckham run around the yard, stretching his legs, arms spread out and making fake airplane sounds.

"Hey, Mr. Gimp!" Diamond joked seeing Christopher leaning on one crutch as he sadly stared at the trampoline.

Christopher's blonde curls bobbed as he swung his head over to her direction, glaring rudely at her.

She just scoffed which made him even more mad and looked over to MacTavish, "You weren't kidding. He's usually my little buddy when we're all together, now I think he's being possessed," She said quietly to him.

He just chuckled as he saw Melody appear through the gate, Gracie holding the gate as Melody carried the baby carrier in one arm carefully and tried to shake Gracie off her arm, exhaustion showing clearly on her face.

Gracie continued on and on, begging Melody to let her take the baby, as they both made their way towards MacTavish.

He took a step towards them and slowly removed the baby carried from her arm and handed it to him.

"You're turn," She said immediately, faking a grin.

He grinned and placed the baby carefully on the table some feet away from him. He then looked over at Melody who had sat down on the right of him, tucking the blue and green blanket on his sides.

"How'd Beckham's check-up go?" He asked looking down at his infant son's sleeping face.

"He's doing better, he might be able to rejoin soccer with Christopher when he gets his cast off. That's why he's in such a good mood today," She said with a sigh and placed her chin on her fist.

"Who's the complete opposite still," MacTavish added jokingly taking his eyes away from Noah as he sat across from her. Diamond peeked in to see Noah's face and grinned.

Melody groaned, "Oh don't get me started on him. I have no idea why he's acting like that. I know he's upset cause he can't play, but he's acting worse then he did when he first got the cast on. I'm not gonna lie; he's being a brat," Melody said adding emphasis at the end which received a chuckle from MacTavish, Diamond, and Frost.

"Alright, I've waited long enough, let me see my grandbaby!" Melanie said appearing behind Melody and jokingly pushed MacTavish out of her way.

Melody smiled and placed her head on MacTavish's shoulder as he came to sit beside her.

"There's my little Noah Jayden!" Melanie cooed gently rocking the carrier as his eyelids flickered as the soft movement was slowly awakening him.

"You might wanna be careful; someone thinks and he can hear it!" Melody said as she noticed her mother's rocking.

Melanie just smiled and continued to rock slowly. Not paying attention to her daughter's warning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey everyone! Yes, I'm alive! Sorry for the crazy long wait. Went through some awful writer's block and had some confidence troubles along the way. Had some family issues that involved me helping my mom around the house and a missing part of her finger... Yeah, my family isn't very lucky with sharp objects.**

**Thanks everyone for clicking on this chapter and reading the story. You guys really don't know how much it means to me that there's someone out there who actually cared enough to read :)**

**Also, before I go and leave you with your, most likely, busy schedules, I have a little tiny announcement. On my FP account, I have created a new story that I'm a little hesitant about. So, if you want, can you give me some feedback about it? I'll put the link to my account for those who want to read it. There's only the one story on there so, it shouldn't be hard to find at all. :D**

**Once again, thanks for reading and thanks for not forgetting about me! You guys are awesome! All of you!**


	48. Chapter 48: Things Are Finally Normal

Melody sat by MacTavish and thought about the way things had changed partially. Their was new members to families and she was still finding it hard to believe that almost all of her children were going to be in school next semester. Jamie would be going into second grade, Beckham and Christopher in kindergarten, and Gracie was going into preschool. That left her alone all day with Noah, Jamie's cat Lenny and her four brand new kittens, and Gracie's black puppy that she called Spots because the light brown spots on his ears.

Melody still couldn't believe that MacTavish agreed to Spots staying. She thought he'd sooner snap his neck then let him stay. I guess they were all really changing. That or he just couldn't say no to Gracie's 'Please, Daddy' eyes. Melody was leaning on option number two.

Melanie continued to look down at their newest member of the family as Melody looked around and spotted a round Becca. She grinned at the sight.

Leaving MacTavish to deal with Noah if he were to suddenly scream, she stood and walked over to Becca who was swatting Dunn away with a cardboard box that used to hold something.

"I see you're already beating your husband," Melody said with a grin, folding her arms across her chest.

Becca looked up, surprised to see someone appear by her side, then softly grinned, "He's like a pest. No matter how many times you find ways to get rid of 'em they always come back," She joked elbowing Dunn slightly and he just rolled his eyes.

"I know how that is. When I was still pregnant with Noah, I mentally made plans to kill MacTavish. Which was weird because I was never like that with the rest. I guess, Noah just made me violent," She said shrugging.

Becca laughed once and finally made Dunn leave with the chore of making sure Mikey didn't end up putting one of the girl's in a cast.

She turned to Melody and placed a hand on her hip, "So, has MacTavish really considered his 'surgery'," Becca said with a grin, airing parentheses with her other hand.

Melody blushed softly at first at the idea of her friend knowing, but shook it off, "Yeah. He keeps saying he's going to put them in a jar like they do with dogs. I've told him no," Melody said quietly with a smile.

Becca laughed, "He's just like Michael. Although, Michael says that if we were to consider that, I was the one who did it. He's such a gentleman," She said sarcastically looking over at Dunn who was walking towards the trampoline, leaning against one of the posts, while Mikey told him all about what he was doing or what he was going to do on the trampoline.

Melody smiled, "Definitely. So, as Diamond would say, is this one going to be the last Dunn product?" She asked looking down at Becca's round stomach.

She just shrugged and grinned, "I don't know. I would like one more, but I'm afraid I'm going to end up like you and John and be surprised with triplets or something," She teased lightly.

Melody grinned, "Yeah, the boys were a surprise, but after a while you learn to live with it. Besides, we're definitely not going to have any more surprises after Noah. I mean, I've had more kids and pregnancies than my grandma. Both of them," She said still shocked at the realization.

"What do you mean?" She asked, clearly shocked at what she had said.

"My grandma and grandpa on my Mom's side four kids together and my grandma alone had five kids. My grandma was only pregnant once and that was with Dad and my aunt Britney, since they were twins. I've been pregnant about... five times and if Grace had been born nearly ten years ago I would have had six kids. More than my grandparents. I think big families skips generations in my family and of course they couldn't have skipped me. But, I guess it isn't so bad," Melody said counting them out on her fingers.

"Wow, I'm glad small families are in my family," Becca said with a grin.

"Now you're just teasing me," She said with a sarcastic, serious face.

Becca just grinned and turned when she heard Dunn behind her and excused herself as she went to her answer her husband's call.

Melody turned and looked over to her husband who was managing to calm a crying Noah. She just giggled at the sight that she was so familiar with now. She pushed herself off the table she had been leaning against and made her way towards him, smile on her face.

* * *

><p>After Becca's baby shower, Melody was in Noah's room that had been a playroom before. She was sitting in the old rocking chair that Melanie gave her that used to belong to her grandmother, Jesse. Melody loved it dearly and rocked each child she and MacTavish had in the same chair, that was usually the only thing she used it for.<p>

Noah had just fallen asleep, but she was afraid that if she tried to lay him down now he would wake up in a screaming fit again like he had done minutes ago. She was tired from the day she had with the boys and she took notice of each hour that passed. Now, it had been five minutes past midnight and this was the fifth time that Noah had cried when she had tried to go to bed nearly two hours ago. She almost worried that Noah was having trouble sleeping, but as she held him now, he was much like Jamie and Gracie was. They liked to be held as they slept.

But Noah was slightly different, besides curly chestnut brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, he had shared many characteristics with his mother before him. He liked to be held close to someone's chest so he could listen to someone's heartbeat as he fell asleep. Melanie told her that she had been a very restless baby and stubborn like Noah was now. Melody was still figuring out if that was a good or bad thing.

But, he did have some of MacTavish, of course. His features were like an exact replica of his, confirmed by Jamie when Noah was born. He also smiled and kicked a lot like Jamie had said MacTavish did. It still made Melody grin thinking about it.

He also shared some mischievous traits from his older brother Christopher. He had gotten into the habit of throwing things. Chris himself thought it was hilarious until he threw a soft, bean bag at him and hit him in the nose which made Noah laugh hysterically. Chris was still holding a grudge against him for that that.

Melody sighed as she stared down at her youngest child's sleeping face. It was still hard to believe that he was there, almost like a gift when everything seemed to be tumbling around her. She found out she was pregnant with him almost two months after finding Beckham and keeping him in the hospital for nearly three months. She remembered the slight fear, nervousness, and shock she had felt when she found out. She had no idea what she was going to do until she told MacTavish. Things were partially easy for her after that, but she was still nervous and tried to focus on Beckham and the others while also making sure she didn't do something that would risk Noah's life also.

There were some miscarriage scares throughout the pregnancy for she had too much stress. After their first scare and after the doctor's order to calm down and relax, MacTavish tried to take over, but Melody still got around and tried to put herself into something. MacTavish thought he was going to go insane.

When Noah had finally been born, stress was definitely relieved from nearly all of their shoulders. Jamie-Lynn had feared for her mother and the baby for she had been the only one with her when the first scare had happened. Since then she has always been trailing behind her making sure that everything was okay and seeing if there was a chore that she could do while she just focused on the baby.

Melody worried about her in return for this was far more than a normal six, almost seven, year old should be stressing about. She was scared that she was going to grow up too soon like Melody had been forced to when she was about her age. She was glad that Jamie wanted to help, but she was scared about what would happen later in the future since everything crumbled around Melody when she had been forced to grow up.

Thankfully, things had been settling down by now. Though she was usually with Frost and busy with him, Diamond still managed some time with the kids and took care of them while Melody focused on Noah. It helped her relax some knowing that Diamond, and sometimes Frost, would occupy Jamie, the boys, and Gracie while she tried to clean up and watch Noah.

As Noah's arm suddenly gave out and fell to his side, Melody knew he was completely out of it. She smiled and ever-so-slowly stood up to place him in his crib. Thankfully, he didn't really notice that his mother had moved him any and continued to sleep as he was laid down.

She stood there for a second more, tucking in the blankets around his arms and legs, softly stroking his brown curls as if they were in his face though they were still short.

As she slowly exited Noah's room, she was met with MacTavish in the hallway directly behind her. She jumped and immediately clasped a hand around her mouth, careful not to wake anyone up, especially Noah who had just fallen asleep.

He just grinned and tried not to laugh as Melody then began to glare at him.

"God, John, don't do that!" She said releasing a breath and slapped his arm.

He just chuckled silently and looked down at her, "Oh, come on, I know you love it when I do that," He said pulling her close to him and playing with the end of her braid.

She just rolled her eyes, "Yeah, sure," She said sarcastically.

"Was there something else that you wanted or did you just wake up to be slapped?" She asked looking up at him, playful grin stretching across her lips.

He gave her a wry, crooked smile, "Well, there is something, but I don't think I should really say it aloud so close to the kids' bedroom," He joked leaning closer towards her.

Melody just laughed and pushed him away, "You can just do it yourself! I'm going to bed whether you like it or not," She said with a playful smile and began to walk towards their bedroom.

He just smiled and began to walk towards her. Things may have finally gotten to normal within their house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, there you have it. The very last chapter of my Melody/MacTavish series. I'll most likely finish the sequel I'm redoing and try to get to work on the one just about Melody and her time with Ronan, Steven, Shaun, and Mallory, but for anything really new with them, is done. But, you never really know with me so who knows what I'll do. **

**First off, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has read the story and stayed with me through this little series. It really does mean a lot for I wouldn't really be doing this if you guys hadn't been there, so I really appreciate it all. **

**Also, sorry for making this one a little crappy. I wasn't very happy with how this turned out, I would've liked for it to be longer, but I guess I really didn't have it in me to make the very last chapter. It's going to be hard to press 'Complete' after this because it seems like I've been working on this story forever and the characters have definitely been in my mind forever. But, maybe I'll be able to work on new things. Guess we won't really know until it happens.**

**And, I've put the link on my profile now. I was going to do it the night I updated the last chapter, but it was a school night and I was busted :P Friday & Saturday I was with my five best friends for my very first all-girls sleepover (not counting times with my cousins) and things got violent (basically when we started playing some games and not like 'I hate you so eat my fist!' moments, but I'm not going to lie, there was some body slamming, wrestling, fighting, and pushing over :D) So, yeah, I got a little side-tracked.**

**I finally updated though, and consider this story FINISHED! Thanks again for everyone who stuck with me and read whether you liked it or not. Still appreciate you actually clicking the story. **

**YOU GUYS ROCK! (Sorry for the all-caps, I've been around my friends to long and screamed too much haha)**


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